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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.
但在我討論我們需要如何共同努力之前，讓我們首先回顧一下我們已經取得的進展。亞太地區的經濟崛起是驚人的歷史性成就，對當今世界和未來都產生了深刻的影響。在河內，自行車和水牛已被摩托車和網吧取代。深圳等中國小漁村已變成擁有證券交易所的大城市。盡管在改善勞工待遇和擴大進入正規經濟的途徑等方面還有大量工作要做，但有關的數字令人震撼。
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年前我首次前來香港之時，本地區80%的人口依靠每天不到1.25美元的收入生活。到2005年，這個比例已下降到20%。在湄公河下游地區的國家，人均國內生產總值在過去20年中提高了兩倍多。僅在泰國，貧困率就從1988年的42%下降到今天的8%。有史以來，從未有如此眾多的人口如此快速地獲得這么顯著的改善。
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.
雖然這一進步主要歸功于亞洲人民自己的辛勤勞動和聰明才智，美國也為我們在促進繁榮方面發揮的作用感到自豪。理所當然，我們幫助日本和韓國重建、在亞洲的海上航道巡邏以維護航行自由、促進了全球商品運輸、并支持中國加入世界貿易組織。與我們的條約盟友——日本、韓國、澳大利亞、泰國和菲律賓、還有新西蘭和新加坡等其他主要合作伙伴一道，我們在幾十年里保證了地區安全，并因此幫助創造了增長的條件。
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.
作為一個主要的貿易和投資伙伴、一個惠及亞洲企業的創新來源、一個每年接納35萬亞洲留學生的東道國、一個開放市場的帶頭人、一個普世人權的倡導者、一個為亞太地區安全和穩定的捍衛者，美國繼續為亞洲增長做貢獻。奧巴馬政府作出了全面的承諾，要為我們作為太平洋地區的大國加強參與而努力——鞏固聯盟和友誼、主動與新興合作伙伴聯系，加強多邊機構。
These efforts reflect our optimism and enthusiasm for what is happening in Asia today. Of course, countries in this region are grappling with challenges. We all are. But we are bullish on Asia’s future, and while the United States is facing its own difficulties, make no mistake: We are bullish on America’s future too.
這些努力都反映了我們對今天的亞洲狀況持樂觀看法并為之感到振奮。當然，這一地區的國家也面臨著種種挑戰。我們都一樣。但我們看好亞洲的未來，雖然美國正面臨著自身的困難，但有一點是肯定的：我們也看好美國的未來。
