But before I talk about where we need to go together, let’s consider how far we’ve come. The economic rise of the Asia Pacific region is an astonishing historic achievement that is reshaping our world today and into the future. In Hanoi, bicycles and water buffalo have given way to motorcycles and internet cafes. Small Chinese fishing villages like Shenzhen have become megacities with their own stock exchanges. And while much work remains to improve labor practices and expand access to the formal economies, the numbers tell a powerful story.
但在我讨论我们需要如何共同努力之前，让我们首先回顾一下我们已经取得的进展。亚太地区的经济崛起是惊人的历史性成就，对当今世界和未来都产生了深刻的影响。在河内，自行车和水牛已被摩托车和网吧取代。深圳等中国小渔村已变成拥有证券交易所的大城市。尽管在改善劳工待遇和扩大进入正规经济的途径等方面还有大量工作要做，但有关的数字令人震撼。
Thirty years ago when I first came to Hong Kong, 80 percent of the people of this region lived on less than $1.25 a day. By 2005, that number had dropped to 20 percent. In the Lower Mekong Region countries, per capita GAP has more than tripled in the last 20 years. And in Thailand alone, the poverty rate fell from 42 percent in 1988 to 8 percent today. Never in history have so many people climbed so far, so fast.
30年前我首次前来香港之时，本地区80%的人口依靠每天不到1.25美元的收入生活。到2005年，这个比例已下降到20%。在湄公河下游地区的国家，人均国内生产总值在过去20年中提高了两倍多。仅在泰国，贫困率就从1988年的42%下降到今天的8%。有史以来，从未有如此众多的人口如此快速地获得这么显著的改善。
And though this progress is largely due to the hard work and ingenuity of the people of Asia themselves, we in the United States are proud of the role we have played in promoting prosperity. Of course, we helped Japan and South Korea rebuild, patrolled Asia’s sea lanes to preserve freedom of navigation, promoted global shipping, and supported China’s membership in the WTO. Along with our treaty allies — Japan, South Korea, Australia, Thailand and Philippines, and other key partners like New Zealand and Singapore — we have underwritten regional security for decades, and that in turn has helped create the conditions for growth.
虽然这一进步主要归功于亚洲人民自己的辛勤劳动和聪明才智，美国也为我们在促进繁荣方面发挥的作用感到自豪。理所当然，我们帮助日本和韩国重建、在亚洲的海上航道巡逻以维护航行自由、促进了全球商品运输、并支持中国加入世界贸易组织。与我们的条约盟友——日本、韩国、澳大利亚、泰国和菲律宾、还有新西兰和新加坡等其他主要合作伙伴一道，我们在几十年里保证了地区安全，并因此帮助创造了增长的条件。
And the U.S. continues to contribute to Asia’s growth as a major trade and investment partner, a source of innovation that benefits Asia’s companies, a host to 350,000 Asian students every year, a champion of open markets, an advocate for universal human rights, and a guarantor of stability and security across the Asia Pacific. The Obama Administration has made a comprehensive commitment to reinvigorate our engagement as a Pacific power — shoring up alliances and friendships, reaching out to emerging partners, and strengthening multilateral institutions.
作为一个主要的贸易和投资伙伴、一个惠及亚洲企业的创新来源、一个每年接纳35万亚洲留学生的东道国、一个开放市场的带头人、一个普世人权的倡导者、一个为亚太地区安全和稳定的捍卫者，美国继续为亚洲增长做贡献。奥巴马政府作出了全面的承诺，要为我们作为太平洋地区的大国加强参与而努力——巩固联盟和友谊、主动与新兴合作伙伴联系，加强多边机构。
实习生：李帅男
