你怎樣看待中國的外交政策

A large amount of Chinese, mostly teenagers and less-educated people, believe that China’s diplomacy is too weak, and they ask the government to be tougher on China’s adversaries. How is China’s foreign policy perceived abroad?

大部分中國人，特別是青少年和文化教育程度較低的人，都認爲中國外交政策太軟弱，要求政府需態度強硬懟對手。那麼海外的你們認爲中國外交政策如何呢？

It’s good, but it is too ese diplomacy is very clear about China’s goals and interests, especially when China was a developing economy. It was much easier when China was poor, but now that it is growing, the challenge is more complex.

還不錯，但實在是呆板得很。中國外交目的很清晰，都是基於中國的目標和利益，尤其中國是一個發展中的經濟體。當中國還很窮時候，任何國際問題都可以輕易用貧困甩鍋，但現在確實是越做越大，面臨的挑戰更加複雜。

Unfortunately, Chinese diplomacy is still stuck in a historical trap inherited from imperial times. When China was strong and the dominant cultural force in east Asia, the Chinese emperors were used to having their neighbors visit their capitol, and praising Chinese culture and its dominance in the region. This resulted in the still current belief that Chinese neighbors should recognize and support Chinese dominance in the region, and that China would never have to explain the rationale behind its worldview.“When China is so superior, why should it have to explain anything?”

不幸的是，中國的外交政策還沉浸在帝制時代的輝煌裏。以往的中國強大並且在是主導東亞的文化力量，中國皇帝們已經習慣了他們的鄰國前往繁華京城面聖，習慣了藩國讚美中國文化，習慣了周邊小國奉承他們強大的統治地位。這些導致中國人普遍潛意識認爲，這地盤是我的，鄰國們就該承認和支持中國的主導地位。中國永遠不會思考這種認知對其他國家來說是否合理。中國太理所當然：“我們就是如此優越，有必要明說嗎？”

Of course, Beijing does not like such a strategy because it would amount to surrendering a certain amount of control, which may in turn lead to unpleasant , it would certainly lead to China’s neighbors feeling less uneasy about China’s rise, which would lead to less likelihood of their thinking that a US military presence in the region is important for guaranteeing their security.

當然，北京不喜歡尋求這樣的外交策略，因爲它無異於放棄一些控制權，而且可能導致某些不愉快的意外。如若不多加溝通，鄰國們肯定會對中國的強大崛起感到心神不寧啦。上訴方法可讓中國的鄰居們弱化一些想法，例如美軍很重要，能夠東亞能保衛他們不受中國侵略等等。

Sounds familiar to Mr. Trump’s “America First”, right? Because the US, as the sole superpower, has not changed since the collapse of USSR. It’s been dominant for so long that equality feels like defeat, and the prospect of equality is intolerable. It’s not that the US politicians are necessarily worse than others. If anybody happens to land in that superpower position, that guy may not behave any better either. Say, if the Superpower is the UK, or France, would it necessarily behave any better? If you look at their exploits in Africa, Southeast Asia, and all over the world, no, not necessarily. Everybody can be just as easily corrupted by the absolute power over other nations. So if China positions herself as the new regional strongman, she will immediately become the next target. The main boogeyman. That’s a given. It’s not just the US political establishment saying so. Popular sentiment in the US demands this as well.

聽起來很像特朗普先生說的“美國優先”，對吧？ 因爲美自蘇聯解體以來，就是唯一的超級大國，沒有改變過。 長此以往，當美國一想到和其他國家可能平起平坐，就會感覺是被擊敗了。平等的前景是不能被容忍的。 並不是說美國政客一定比其他國家政客更糟糕。 如果有人碰巧在這個超級大國的位置，那個傢伙也可能沒有什麼更好的表現。 假設現在的超級大國是英國或者法國，它會有更好的表現？ 你看看英法在非洲，東南亞和世界各地的開拓新大陸的成績，不，真的不一定。 一個國家只要有絕對性超越其他國家的權力，就極容易腐敗掉。 所以如果中國把自己定位爲新的區域性強國，那麼它直接就是下個目標。 對於黑暗眼冒綠光的狼來說，這無疑是送上門的羔羊。並不是單純美國政治制度如此， 在他們民衆中，這個理論備受推崇。

China has always recognized this feature of the US foreign policy since its foundation, thus its foreign policy, since Deng’s time, has always been to encourage the development of regional consolidation and cooperation. The goal is to keep a pack of regional powers moving together. So that you don’t see a clear No. 2. You see a mushrooming of No. 2, 3, 4, 5, … all at the same time. So you are not sure which one is No. 2, but you know if you target one of them, both of you will lose, and you’ll only make the rest of the pack greater. For example, if the US and China fight, it’ll only make Russia or EU great again. This would not be a rational choice. As long as everybody can be persuaded by reason, there won’t be a war, because whoever is involved in a shooting war loses. This is how you can transition from one superpower to a constellation of regional powers peacefully.

中國自成立以來，一直很清楚美國外交政策的這一特點，因此自鄧小平之後的外交政策一直是鼓勵區域合作與發展。 目的是促成分散的區域性力量的一體化。 現今世界，除了美國第一，再也看不到明確被劃爲第二大的力量。你只能看到在同一時間內迅速發展的的第二，第三，第四，第五。 美國分不清楚哪一個是第二，但他們知道一旦只瞄準其中的一個，會得不償失，剩下的那些力量會因此迅速壯大。舉個栗子，如果美中戰鬥，只會使俄羅斯或歐盟坐大。 這不是一個理性的選擇。 只要每個人都還擁有理性，就不會有戰爭，因爲參與進狩獵戰的國家意味着失敗。 這就是安全地在一個超級大國虎視眈眈下，過渡成爲一個區域性力量中璀璨的明星的方法。

Thus in China, you basically have a leftwing government telling its citizens to respect all the people, the culture, the local laws, when they go abroad, even passing out handbooks on it before they board the plane, and you have a bit of a right wing rebellious youth thingy spilling this kind of imperialistic nonsense. Xi must be fuming inside, “Of all the good stuff from other countries, you don’t learn those, and you have to learn this kind of stupid garbage! You need some more homework!”

因此，在中國，基本上有一個左翼政府，告訴公民尊重世界所有的人民，文化，當地的法律，甚至在出國的時候，登機前發行的手冊提醒。你也許年輕，有一點點叛逆右翼傾向，洋溢着帝國主義的氣息胡說八道。 你們習大大聽了估計要七竅生煙：“其他國家那麼多優秀的東西，你不學，竟學這種愚蠢的垃圾！ 滾回家再受教育吧你！“