美国副总统拜登在四川大学的演讲

　　　　 我们最后做到的是建立了一个框架，在这个框架内我们决定把今后10年的赤字初步削减1.2万亿美元。我们还成立了一个参议员小组，该小组必须提出另外削减1.2万亿至1.7万亿美元的计划，否则明年一月削减自动生效，以省下这笔钱。因此，缩减开支的目的一定会达到。但正如我通过与你们的一些领导人谈话所了解到的，你们在中国也有类似的担忧。你们缺乏社会保障网。你们一直实行一个家庭只生一个孩子的政策——我完全理解这一政策，也不会在这里指手划脚。但这种政策的结果是，一个赚取工薪的人将要照料四个退休的老人。这也是一种不可持续的状况。
　　So hopefully we can act in a way on a problem that’s much less severe than yours, and maybe we can learn together from how we can do that.
　　所以，我希望我们能够对这个问题采取行动——与你们面临的问题相比,我们的问题相对容易解决——或许我们可以共同探索如何解决这些问题。
　　But in the meantime, the concern that we will not make good on the investments that people have made -- in your case up to $1.7 trillion total out of a very large economy is not to worry about. We could not afford -- we could not afford not to make good on that requirement.
　　但与此同时，担心我们作为一个非常大型的经济不会保持对人们投资的承诺——在你们的情况下有高达1.7万亿美元——是不需要的。我们不能不——我们不能不兑现承诺。
　　And that’s why the irony was that in the Treasury offering in the first four days after the downgrade, more people actually came and bought our treasuries than before. And the interest rate paid on those treasury notes actually went down because they were so much in demand. So obviously, the rest of the world didn’t think we were about not to. If the world thought, my God, they’ve been downgraded, and they are not going to make good on their debt, it would not have been viewed as the safest haven in the whole world to invest. We are still -- for all the economic difficulties nation’s have -- we are still the single best bet in the world in terms of where to invest.
　　这也就是为什么有意思的是，就国债发行而言，在降级后的最初四天里，其实有比过去更多的人来购买我们的国库券。而且需求之大，这些债券的利息率还降低了。所以显然，世界其他地方没有认为我们将要不行了。如果全世界认为，天哪，他们被降级了，他们即将无法还债了，那么美国就不会被视为是全世界最安全的投资之地。我们仍然是——尽管我们有种种经济困难——就投资而言，我们仍然是全世界最最保险的地方。
　　And so -- but we do have to deal with the deficit. We will deal with it, and that’s what this 2012 election is going to be about. The American people are going to speak on that.
　　所以说——但是，我们的确必须解决赤字问题。我们会解决它，这也将是2012年选举的焦点。美国人民将对此发出他们的声音。
　　Now, look, one last point, both our countries are going through a political transition in 2012. And it’s very important in my view that we both are aware of the political sensitivities in each of the countries as they go through that. But I’m confident we will come out stronger, as will you. But I don’t in any way suggest -- please don’t have the press read that Biden said that $1.7 trillion investment in the United States is not a big deal. It is a big deal if you are a Chinese. (Laughter.) It is not a big deal in terms of our financial instruments. It is a very small part, and so the Chinese people should take solace. In order for us not to make good on China’s debt, we would have to disappoint tens of millions of Americans who own 85 percent of that debt. And just in pure political terms, no politician wants to do that. (Laughter.) You’re safe. (Applause.)
　　还有最后一点。我们两国都要在2012年经历政治更迭期。我认为，我们都非常有必要认识到各国在这一转换时期时具有的政治敏感。但我有信心，我们将由此而变得更加强大，你们也一样。但我绝对不是说——请新闻界不要将此解读为拜登说在美国1.7万亿的投资没什么了不得的；如果你是中国人，这是了不得的。（笑声）但是作为我们的金融手段而言，它不是了不得的，它是很小的一部分，所以中国人民应该安心。如果要让我们无法兑现中国的债务，那我们必须首先要让千百万美国人失望，他们是85%国债的债权人。仅纯粹从政治角度而言，没有任何政治人物想这样做。（笑声）你们是安全的。（掌声）
　　THE VICE PRESIDENT: Question. Young man in the striped shirt here. Can you get him the microphone?
　　Q: Thank you, very much, Your Excellency Vice President. I see you not just as the Vice President but a veteran and accomplished public speaker.
　　THE VICE PRESIDENT: Do I look that old? (Laughter.)
　　Q: I mean being serious -- so as is known to all, public speaking, and English public speaking, in particular, is getting all the more popular in China. So my question is twofold: First of all, what role has public speaking played in your life? Because we say that public speaking is the language of leadership. And secondly, what role do you think public speaking will play among our youth of the two countries and to our bilateral relations? Thank you very much. (Applause.)
　　THE VICE PRESIDENT: That’s a very good question. Let me order my thoughts here to make this as brief as I can. The commodity that is worth a lot more than public speaking is sincerity when one speaks. I mean this sincerely now. (Laughter.) There are great orators that have come along in the world history who have been charlatans. So the most important thing to look to in a leader’s speech is not the elegance or the rhetorical flourish of his or her comments, but the judgment of whether or not you believe they are sincere in what they’re saying.
　　副总统：这个问题提得很好。我来整理一下思绪，以便尽量简要地作出回答。对于演讲者来说，远比演讲技巧有价值的一点是真诚。我说这句话的时候就是真诚的。（笑声）在世界历史上有一些享有盛名的演说家其实是江湖骗子。因此，在听一位领导人演说时，最重要的不是看其能否侃侃而谈或其言辞是否文采飞扬，而在于你是否认为演讲人在讲话时态度诚恳。
　　Secondly, you compliment me by saying I’m an accomplished public speaker. I don’t know whether you’ve had an opportunity to see a movie that has gotten worldwide circulation called “The King’s Speech.” Well, but for the royal blood and the money, that could have been me. I was a serious stutterer when I was in school as a child, as a high school student, and even into college. And I practiced very, very hard by myself, standing in front of a mirror, trying to annunciate without contorting my face.