错误的客人

The Following article is published by the Global Viewpoint for the L.ATimes Syndicate

Global Viewpoint appears before 35 million readers in 15 languages through the pages of newspapers ranging from the International Herald Tribune to Corrire della Sera to O Estado de Sao Paulo to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung to Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan's largest daily.

错误的客人

我们把客人请到家里来热情接待,说明这个客人是我们的好朋友,值得信赖的人.至少,也应该是一个规规矩矩不会给我们找麻烦的人.否则可以在办公室接待他.

美国总统把另一国总统请到私人庄园热情接待,说明这个客人是盟国的总统,是值得信赖的国家的领导人.至少也不应该是极权国家的独裁者,不应该是给美国找麻烦的国家的总统.

布什总统把中国的主席江泽民请到布什的私

JIANG'S VISIT TO BUSH RANCH CONFUSES AMERICA'S FRIENDS

By Wei Jingsheng 10-22-02

Wei Jingsheng, perhaps China's most famous dissident, was expelled from that country in 1997. He now lives in exile in New York and is chairman of the Overseas Chinese Democracy Coalition.

NEW YORK -- When we invite a guest to our home to entertain, we usually regard this guest as a good friend. At least, such a guest would be a lawful person and would not bring trouble. Otherwise we would rather meet the guest in our office.

When a U.S. president invites the president of another nation to his private ranch and entertains him with enthusiasm, one would assume the guest is the head of an ally country or the leader of a trustworthy nation. At least the guest must not be a dictator of a totalitarian state, not a president of a nation that may bring trouble for the United States. Since President George W. Bush has enthusiastically invited China's President Jiang Zemin to his private farm for entertainment, we cannot help but ask: Is this invitation appropriate?

There are two possibilities.

First, the invitation has been extended to a personal friend of the family. President Bush senior and President Bush junior, of course, have all the rights in the world to entertain their private friends in their own place. There is nothing inappropriate about it. But since when has Jiang Zemin become Bush's personal friend? People have the right to raise this question. People in the United States should be suspicious of any personal friendship struck between the Bushes and the leader of a nation whose ideology is so hostile to the values of Americans. If what is to come from Jiang's visit is completely official, then the choice of private property for the venue is not appropriate.

Second, the invitation has been extended to a friendly ally or a nation worthy of trust. Such was the case for the invitations to the prime minister of England and the president of Russia. These were entirely appropriate. The issue here is that the Communist People's Republic of China always proclaims itself to be the archenemy of the United States. After the collapse of the former Soviet Union and the Communist bloc in Eastern Europe, Chinese Communists have considered themselves the leader of the anti-democracy, anti-West camp of totalitarian states. Obviously China is not an ally of the United States. Many nations with a grudge against the United States look to China as a source of inspiration and help. Many anti-democratic terrorist nations and organizations learn from Chinese totalitarian values and internal and external subversion practices and regard China as a source of funding and weaponry.

One must be particularly wary of the Chinese Communist state, which has finely tuned the arts of disinformation and manipulation of its own people and those of the Third World. One can be sure that Jiang Zemin will make the most of his visit for his own personal power in China, for the power of those like him who wish to maintain control over the Chinese population and for China's totalitarian interests on the world stage.

It is, of course, in the U.S. interest to keep in contact with those leaders who may oppose the values it represents. However, it is not necessary for American leaders to treat them as allies or personal friends at home. Doing so confuses the friends of the United States and helps the foes. The United States would be stronger and better for helping the friends. But helping the enemy of freedom will only lead to ill fortune for the world. This seeming friendliness not only worsens the human rights condition for those Chinese who suffer persecution under a dictatorial government but also ultimately brings danger to the peace and security of the whole world.

人庄园热情招待,这合适吗?我们来看看两种可能性:

A.作为私人朋友,老布什总统和小布什总统都有权在私人庄园接待私人朋友,没什么不合适.但问题是,江泽民什么时候成为了布什家的私人朋友?人们有权提出这个问题.

无论是老布什在北京任职期间;还是小布什作为美国总统与江泽民的交往,都是公务在身.执行公务期间与反对美国价值观念的敌对意识形态国家的领导人结成私人朋友,这其中的原因,值得美国的公众怀疑.

如果纯属公务来往,不是私人朋友.在私人庄园接待江泽民,理由就不够充分了.

B.作为盟国或值得信赖的国家的总统来接待,像俄国总统或法国总统那样,理由当然相当充分.问题是,共产主义的中国从来自称是美国的敌人.在苏联和东欧的共产主义政权垮台之后,中国共产党自以为是全世界反民主的和极权专制的以及反西方的政权的领袖.显然,它不仅不是美国的盟国,所有反美的国家都尊中国为领袖.包括许多反民主的恐怖组织,都把中国作为他们价值观念和金钱,武器的主要来源.

美国应该和反美的国家打交道,但似乎没必要把它当作盟国或私人朋友来接待.这样做让人搞不清谁是美国的朋友,谁是美国的敌人.

帮助你的朋友,回使你越来越顺利,越来越强大.

帮助你的敌人,只会给你带来厄运.

魏京生

2002.10.21