双语时事：香港遭遇的困局与英国的关联

2014-09-04 15:59:20来源：可可英语

　　The Joint Declaration under which the territory passed from British to Chinese rule guaranteedHong Kong’s way of life for 50 years after 1997. Deng Xiaoping’s “one country, two systems”pledge is backed by an international treaty, lodged at the UN. As successive Britishgovernments have accepted, the UK has a continuing “moral and political obligation” to ensurethat China respects its commitments.

　　《中英联合声明》保证了香港在1997年回归中国后的50年生活方式不变;英国据此将香港主权移交给中国。邓小平的“一国两制”承诺被列入一份在联合国备案的国际条约。正如历届英国政府都认可的，英国在确保中国尊重其承诺方面负有持续的“道德和政治义务”。

　　When Chinese officials attack British MPs and others for commenting on developments in HongKong, they ignore the fact that Britain too has treaty obligations for 50 years, which reflectwhat our country has said and promised in the past. Failure to do as we pledged would clearlybe dishonourable.

　　当中国官员抨击英国议员和其他人就香港事态发表评论时，他们忽略了这样一个事实：英国也负有50年的条约义务，反映出我国在过去说过的话、作出过的承诺。未能履行我方的承诺显然将是不光彩的。

　　In the 1980s and 1990s, parliament was told that the development of democratic structuresunderpin the territory’s stability, prosperity and limited autonomy. No one envisaged that, 30 years after the Joint Declaration, a fair electoral system would still be beyond the horizon.

　　20世纪80和90年代，英国议会被告知，民主架构的发展支撑着香港的稳定、繁荣和有限自治。没有人预料到，在《中英联合声明》签署30年后的今天，一个公平的选举制度仍然是不可企及的。

　　Sooner or later, I assume, the British government will comment on Beijing’s plan. This wouldnot be a provocation but a duty. No one can seriously believe that this would havecommercial consequences, or that such consequences should be an overriding concern whenour honour is on the line. We have a huge stake in the wellbeing of Hong Kong, with a politicalsystem in balance with its economic freedom. I hope these questions will be resolved in a waythat does not jeopardise the city’s future.

　　我假定，英国政府迟早将对北京的计划发表评论。这将不是一种挑衅，而是一种责任。没有人能真的相信，这将产生商业方面的后果，或者说，在我们的荣誉命悬一线的情况下，这样的后果应该是压倒一切的考虑因素。香港的福祉，香港拥有与经济自由相称的政治体制——这些对我们事关重大。我希望这些问题将在不危及香港未来的情况下得到解决。

　　China’s ascent has been a bonus for the world. It is not a threat. Surprisingly, however, it hasnot yet been accompanied by an accretion of China’s soft power. The way in which Beijinghandles Hong Kong’s aspirations will clearly affect that.

　　中国的崛起迄今对世界是一大利好。中国不是一个威胁。但令人惊讶的是，这种崛起尚未伴随中国软实力的增强。北京方面把握香港抱负的方式显然将影响这一点。

　　Yet my main appeal is to Westminster not China. During a visit to a mental hospital before Ileft Hong Kong, a patient politely asked me how a country that prided itself on being the oldestdemocracy in the world had come to be handing over his city to another country with a verydifferent system of government, without either consulting the citizens or giving them theprospect of democracy to safeguard their future. Strange, said one of my aides, that the manwith the sanest question in Hong Kong is in a mental hospital.

　　然而，我的主要诉求是针对英国议会，而不是中国的。在我离开香港之前，我曾走访香港一间精神病院，一个病人礼貌地问我，一个号称是世界上最古老民主国家的国家，怎么能在既不征求市民意见、又不给他们留下民主前景以捍卫自己未来的情况下，把他所在的城市交给政府体制非常不同的另一个国家?当时我的一个助手说，怪事，住在精神病院的一个男子居然提出了香港最清醒的问题。

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