????譯文:
????編者按:今年是中國改革開放40周年。中國日報推出系列專訪,報道那些經歷或見證這一重要進程的人物。
????潘基文:中國應在國際舞臺發揮更重要作用
????——聯合國前秘書長稱贊中國為維護世界和平、應對氣候變化和消除貧困所付出的努力
????中國日報首爾電(記者 潘夢琪)聯合國前秘書長潘基文用他最喜歡的一句話總結了中國改革開放40年的歷程,那就是“成就越大,責任越大”。
????他說,“中國在1978年改革開放后,社會經濟發生的大變革與大發展是難以用言語描述的?!?/p>
????潘基文認為,中國過去40年所取得的經濟成就堪稱“奇跡”,因為中國的發展不僅讓中國人民富了起來,還為其他發展中國家樹立了一個國家發展的樣板。
????潘基文指出,1978年,也就是改革開放元年,中國國內生產總值僅占世界經濟比重的2%,許多中國人生活在貧困線下。
????然而,改革開放讓中國的社會經濟實現飛躍式發展。
????根據國家統計局數據顯示,去年中國國內生產總值增長6.9%,達到12.06萬億美元,占世界經濟比重的五分之一,超過了英國、德國和日本,繼續保持著世界第二大經濟體的地位。此外,城鎮居民人均可支配收入達5245美元,是1978年的104倍,而農村居民人均可支配收入則從1978年的20美元(約137元)增長至1935美元(13432元)。
????“中國經濟建設最突出的一個成就就是讓7億多極端貧困人口擺脫貧困,占同期全球減貧人口總數的70%,”潘基文說,并強調中國的扶貧工作意義重大,因為通過這一系列的國內改革,中國也承擔更多國際責任。
????在離開聯合國近兩年后,現年74歲的潘基文仍然對中國在聯合國應對地區和全球性挑戰方面繼續發揮領導作用、推動多邊合作的行為表示贊賞。
????潘基文于2007年至2016年擔任聯合國秘書長,任職期間,他積極呼吁各個成員國應對氣候變化和其他全球性挑戰。
????“在我擔任兩屆聯合國秘書長期間,我努力推動聯合國優先發揮其在促進全球發展方面的重要作用,對此我深感自豪。”
????2015年,聯合國及其193個成員國批準通過了《2030年可持續發展議程》,提出了17項可持續發展目標。潘基文說,這些目標為世界應對當下最嚴峻挑戰提供了途徑,這些挑戰包括減貧、教育、不平等、氣候變化、改善公共衛生和性別平等。
????潘基文說,聯合國《2030年可持續發展議程》需要“各利益攸關方在伙伴關系中,調動和分享知識、專長、技術和財政資源,幫助各國實現可持續發展目標”。
????他補充說,可持續發展目標確立三年來,取得的進展并不平衡,一些產業和地區比其他產業和地區發展更快。不過,他還指出,聯合國已經同中國加強合作,并表示,中國在踐行可持續發展目標方面的重要作用是幫助國內外人民提高生活質量。
????中國于2016年發布了落實可持續發展目標的國家規劃。潘基文說,這是“國內發展規劃與國際責任的完美結合”。
????在一系列可持續發展目標中,潘基文認為氣候變化是“最令人擔憂的問題之一”。
????潘基文最早于2007年召開了聯合國氣候變化大會,隨后他作了大量外交努力,讓氣候變化成為全球關注的重點議題。
????潘基文說,他非常關注氣候變化,因為氣候變化正在使地球發生改變,帶來了極大的風險和不穩定性。
????“從突破歷史極值的高溫天氣和野火,到史上最強颶風和洪水,氣候變化不再只是一個議題,氣候變化正在發生。前幾個月的極端天氣事件就表明了人類的未來前景黯淡、危機重重?!?/p>
????“今年夏天,加州燃起了史上最具破壞力的山火,火光沖天,濃煙滾滾。而在日本和朝鮮半島,漫長炎熱的高溫天氣也奪去了幾十條生命。在格陵蘭島附近,北極最厚冰層有史以來首次破裂。這些不再是反?,F象,而是成了新常態。”
????他補充道,我們必須采取必要措施應對氣候變化,否則城市和農村地區將繼續面臨炎熱高溫天氣的傷害,人民流離失所,對各個國家乃至整個世界都會造成嚴重威脅。
????因此,潘基文表示,他很高興看到,包括中國在內的許多國家,正在加強合作,落實《巴黎協定》。
????潘基文將《巴黎協定》的簽署視為他擔任聯合國秘書長期間取得的最重要成果之一。他認為《巴黎協定》為應對氣候變化問題提供了可能。
????近200個締約國在2015年簽署的《巴黎協定》為遏制氣候變暖、限制溫室氣體排放以及推動氣候適應型發展和促進綠色發展制定了切實可行的目標。
????潘基文說:“為了實現這些目標,我們需要繼續共同努力?!彼a充說,他對美國退出《巴黎協定》深感失望,美國此舉是在氣候政策方面孤立自己。
????他說:“這在科學上是錯誤的,在經濟上是不負責任的,美國將站在歷史錯誤的一邊。我非常希望美國能重新考慮這一決定,回心轉意?!?/p>
????不過,潘基文相信我們仍有理由保持樂觀。
????因為,中國不斷增強的氣候領導力可能會對亞洲地區乃至整個世界發揮積極影響。
????此外,潘基文高度贊揚了中國對聯合國維和事業所作的貢獻。中國在復雜和困難的環境條件下,向聯合國派遣維和部隊,潘基文認為這是“其他國家的榜樣”。
????他列舉了中國在敘利亞、阿富汗、緬甸、南蘇丹為維護和平與安全所作的貢獻,并鼓勵中國繼續關注這些問題。
????他說:“這不僅表明中國是一個愛好和平的國家,也表明中國正在承擔更多國際責任,把和平帶到世界的其他地方?!?/p>
????1944年,潘基文出生在韓國。他親眼目睹了朝鮮戰爭時的斷壁殘垣、妻離子散和經濟蕭條。
????“我在戰爭中長大,我親眼見證了是聯合國幫助我的祖國恢復重建,這是我投身公共服務事業的一個重要原因?!?/p>
????隨著二戰硝煙散盡,聯合國于1945年成立,旨在為維護世界和平與安全提供一個國際平臺。潘基文說,盡管當時的聯合國備受爭議,但它為所有國家和人民提供了另一種選擇,讓他們遠離二戰的槍林彈雨,免受滅頂之災。
????外交與合作
????他說:“這種選擇是基于這樣的指導理念,即外交方式與相互合作是解決國際爭端的更好途徑。我珍惜和平,所以我特別珍視中國為維護和平付出的努力?!?/p>
????他還說,朝鮮半島的人民不會忘記中國為朝鮮半島和平所做的一切。
????“中國的努力不容忽視。今年中國與朝鮮領導人進行了三次會晤,發揮了非常重要的作用。”
????潘基文長期以來一直積極參與處理朝韓關系問題,他同聯合國的關系可以追溯到1975年他在韓國外交部聯合國處任職之時。
????多年來他的工作經歷不斷豐富,擔任了包括全面禁止核試驗條約組織籌委會主席等職。
????潘基文說,中國的改革開放與中國在聯合國的作用和影響力相互促進,他強調他最欣賞的是中國堅持“共同繁榮、和平共處”。
????“我的祖國韓國也受益于中國的這一理念。”潘基文說,1991年韓國能加入聯合國,中國的支持起了重要作用。
????今年四月,潘基文開始擔任博鰲亞洲論壇理事長。他說,他未來的工作目標是同中國和許多其他國家一道,通過博鰲亞洲論壇應對更多全球性挑戰?!笆澜缯诮洑v重大變革,將面臨更多新的風險和不確定性?!?/p>
????潘基文說,單邊主義和保護主義業已成為世界面臨的主要威脅,中國在推動世界金融和經濟不斷發展的同時,還能作出更大貢獻。
????“中國應該意識到自身的責任,推動世界金融經濟的發展?!彼€表示,中國的成就得益于多邊貿易自由化,多邊貿易自由化是二戰結束以來實現全球繁榮、和平與穩定的主要因素。
????潘基文說,他注意到,中國為對抗反全球化浪潮,推進中國進一步融入世界市場付出了更多努力。他指出,比如11月在上海舉辦的第一屆中國國際進口博覽會,就彰顯了中國擴大對外開放、與國際社會合作應對全球性挑戰的決心。“中國國際進口博覽會是強調自由貿易和市場自由化重要性的大好時機,值得其他國家學習?!?/p>
????潘基文還強調,“一帶一路”倡議不僅對相關國家的人民有利,同時也有利于推動構建人類命運共同體。
????四月,在海南召開的博鰲亞洲論壇上,中國領導人宣示了中國堅定不移深化改革、擴大開放的決心。潘基文表示,“這對中國和國際社會都具有重要意義?!?/p>
????他說:“因為中國走出去不僅僅關系到中國自身,同時也為其他國家樹立了榜樣,帶來了好處?!?/p>
????原文:
????BAN URGES CHINA TO INCREASE PRESENCE ON WORLD STAGE
????Former UN secretary-general praises country's efforts to maintain global peace, tackle climate change and eradicate poverty
????PAN MENGQI
????Ban Ki-moon, former UN secretary-general, summarized China's 40 years of reform and opening-up by using one of his favorite phrases-"With great success, comes great responsibility."
????He added, "It's hard to describe the phenomenal changes and development China has made with the reform and opening-up of Chinese society and the economy since 1978."
????Describing China's economic achievements during the past four decades as "a miracle", Ban said that in addition to making its own people richer, the country's contribution to the world has been to set a development model for other developing nations.
????He noted that in 1978, the year the policy was adopted, China's GDP accounted for just 2 percent of the global total, and many people in the country were living below the poverty line.
????However, economic and social development in China has grown in leaps and bounds as a result of the policy.
????According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China's GDP rose by 6.9 percent to $12.06 trillion last year, one-fifth of the global total and surpassing the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan to retain the country's position as the world's second-largest economy. Moreover, the monthly per capita disposable income of China's urban workers rose to $5,245, 104 times higher than in 1978, while rural monthly per capita net incomes rose to $1,935 from $20.
????"One of the greatest achievements of China's economic growth is that it has lifted more than 700 million people out of absolute poverty, accounting for 70 percent of global poverty reduction during the period," Ban said.
????Stressing the importance of China's poverty alleviation efforts, he added that the country has also made a commitment to accept more responsibility within the international community.
????Nearly two years' after leaving the UN, the 74-year-old still appreciates China's continued leadership and multilateral engagement within the organization in support of resolving regional and global challenges.
????Ban held office from 2007 to 2016, and during his tenure he was a keen promoter of tackling climate change and other global challenges.
????"During my two terms as UN secretary-general, I am proud to have prioritized and expanded the importance of the organization's global development efforts," he said.
????In 2015, the UN and its 193 member countries passed the 2030 Agenda and its 17 sustainable development goals. Ban said the goals offer the world a way to confront the most critical issues of our time, including poverty reduction, education, inequality, climate change, improvements in public health, and gender equality.
????The initiative called for "multistakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries", Ban said.
????He added that in the three years since the goals were adopted, progress remains uneven and some sectors and regions are moving faster than others. However, he also noted that cooperation between the UN and China has accelerated, and said the country's crucial role in advancing the goals at home and abroad is providing a better quality of life for the world.
????China released its national plan for implementing the goals in 2016, which Ban said "perfectly incorporated its domestic development plan with an international commitment".
????Within the goals, he said climate change is "one of the most concerning issues".
????One of his earliest major initiatives at the UN was the 2007 Climate Change Conference, followed by extensive diplomatic efforts that helped put the issue at the forefront of the global agenda.
????Ban said he pays a lot of attention to climate change because it is altering the Earth's character and creating dire risks and instability.
????"From record-breaking heat waves and wildfires, to hurricanes and flooding of historic intensity, climate change is no longer a debate. It is clearly here right now. The extreme weather events of just the last few months alone point to a bleak and dangerous future," he noted.
????"This summer, California has been engulfed in flames and smoke from historic wildfires. Intense and prolonged heat waves claimed dozens of lives in Japan and the Korean Peninsula. And near Greenland, the Arctic's thickest sea ice broke up for first time on record. These events no longer seem like anomalies; rather, they appear to be the new normal."
????He added that the necessary steps should be taken to combat climate change otherwise these turbulent shifts will continue to bring dangerous scorching heat waves to cities and rural areas, which will drive displacement and seriously threaten entire communities and countries.
????With this reality in mind, Ban is happy to see that many countries, including China, are stepping up collective efforts to implement the Paris climate agreement.
????Ban regards the signing of the agreement as one of his most significant achievements during his tenure at the UN, and he believes that it offers scope to counter the serious threats to the planet.
????The agreement, signed by nearly 200 countries in 2015, set viable targets to impede rising temperatures, constrict emissions of greenhouse gases and spur climate-resilient development and green growth.
????"To achieve these goals, we need to keep working together," Ban said, adding that he is deeply disappointed that the United States has withdrawn from the agreement, and the move isolates the US from every other country in terms of climate policy.
????"It is scientifically wrong and economically irresponsible, and it will be on the wrong side of history. I greatly hope that this decision is reconsidered and reversed," he said.
????However, he believes that there are still many reasons for optimism.
????He said China's growing climate leadership in these difficult times for the planet has the potential to positively affect the Asian region and the world at large. The country's decision to set a deadline to completely phase out sales of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles is a sterling example in this regard, he added.
????Ban said he also greatly values China's contribution to UN peacekeeping pledges, adding that the country's contribution of troops for UN missions in complex and challenging environments is "a role model for other countries".
????He listed China's contributions to the promotion of peace and security in Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sudan and South Sudan, and encouraged the country to remain focused on these issues.
????"This not only shows that China is a peace-loving country, but it is also taking more responsibility to bring peace to other places in the world," he said.
????Born in the Republic of Korea in 1944, Ban witnessed how the Korean War (1950-53) destroyed buildings, separated families and damaged economies.
????"I grew up in war, and I saw the UN help my country recover and rebuild. That experience was a big part of what led me to pursue a career in public service," he said.
????Established in 1945, the UN was designed to provide an international forum for the maintenance of global peace and security as the ashes of war dispersed. Although the UN had numerous critics at the time, Ban said the organization offered all nations and peoples an alternative to the bombs, guns and destruction of World War II.
????Diplomacy, cooperation
????"This alternative was based on the guiding belief that diplomacy and cooperation offered the international community a better way of resolving conflicts," he said. "I cherish peace, and because of this I especially cherish China's efforts to maintain peace."
????He added that China's work to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula has been noted by the people of the area.
????"Never in the history of the ROK and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have we seen such an exciting process of reconciliation between the two countries," he said.
????"China's efforts cannot be neglected. It has played a very important role by engaging with the DPRK leader Kim Jong-un three times this year. It's very important that Kim understands and learns from China's rapid industrialization and development through reform and opening-up. I think Pyongyang could gain a lot by opening up and engaging in the denuclearization process."
????Ban has long been actively involved in issues relating to inter-Korean relations because his ties to the UN date back to 1975, when he worked for the ROK foreign ministry's UN division.
????His work expanded over the years, with assignments that included serving as chairman of the preparatory commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization and chef de cabinet during the ROK's presidency of the UN General Assembly in 2001-02.
????China's reform and opening-up had synergies with the country's due role and proper influence in the UN, Ban said, stressing that the thing he most appreciated was China's vision of "mutual prosperity and coexistence".
????"My country, the Republic of Korea, is also benefiting from this Chinese philosophy," Ban said, adding that China's support was instrumental in the ROK gaining UN membership in 1991.
????In April, Ban began work as chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia. He said his future career goal is to work with China and many other countries at the forum to fight more global challenges: "Our world is going through pronounced changes, and this is resulting in elevated uncertainties and new risks."
????He said unilateralism and protectionism have become the main threats to the world, and while China continuously contributes to global financial and economic development, it can make a greater contribution.
????"China should feel a sense of responsibility for global economic and financial development as a whole," he said, adding that the country's achievements are the result of multilateral trade liberalization, which has been the major factor in bringing about global prosperity, peace, and stability since the end of WWII.
????He said he has seen more moves by China that are aimed at resisting the anti-globalization trend and deepening the country's integration with the global market. As an example, he pointed out that the first China International Import Expo, held in Shanghai last month, demonstrated the country's determination to expand opening-up and work with the international community on tough global issues.
????"The expo was a great occasion to stress the importance of free trade and market liberalization, which should be learned by other countries," he said.
????Ban also highlighted the Belt and Road Initiative, which will not only benefit people in participating countries but also build a community with a shared future for mankind.
????At the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan province in April, President Xi Jinping promised the nonstop continuation of reform and opening-up and a commitment to an open economy, which, according to Ban, "was significant for domestic development, as well as that of the international community".
????"Because China is not going out on its own, it also sets an example for, and brings benefits to, other countries," he said.

