VOA双语新闻 - 布什启程前往秘鲁参加亚太峰会

　　U.S. President George Bush is in Peru for his final Pacific Rim 1 summit. After his arrival Friday, Mr. Bush met with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Lima ahead of the two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which opens Saturday. This is expected to be Mr. Bush's last foreign trip before leaving office.

美国总统布什前往秘鲁出席亚太经合组织高峰会。这很可能是布什总统结束八年任期之前的最后一次出访。

President Bush attended his first Pacific Rim summit just two months after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

2001年，美国本土发生9/11恐怖袭击后两个月，布什总统第一次出席了亚太经合组织高峰会。

Now, with the nation in the midst of a financial crisis, he is making his last appearance at the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum 2.

目前，在金融危机席卷美国之际，布什将以总统身份最后一次出席这个峰会。

White House aides say the president will urge APEC to endorse 3 steps already being taken to boost the global economy. They indicate he will likely focus on the need to expand trade worldwide and open markets.

白宫官员说，布什总统将敦促亚太经合组织支持已经采取的提振全球经济的措施，同时还将重点阐述扩大国际贸易和自由市场的重要性。

Charles Freeman is a former U.S. trade official. He says even though Mr. Bush has little time left in office, his words can have an impact at the forum.

前美国助理贸易代表傅瑞伟(Charles Freeman)说，尽管布什总统任期即将结束，但他在此次峰会上的发言仍将产生影响。

"Well, I mean, words count," Freeman said. "So I think what the leadership says about trade liberalization is very important. And standing 4 up for that is key."

他说：“我的意思是说，他的表态仍然会有作用。美国领导人关于贸易自由的发言非常重要。坚持自由贸易原则是一个关键问题。”

The Pacific Rim countries account for about half of the world's trade and population. And the number of bilateral 5 and free trade agreements between and among APEC members has soared in recent years.

亚太地区国家占全球贸易和人口的大约一半。最近几年，该地区内部的双边和多边自由贸易协议数量增长迅速。

APEC is not a formal organization or a negotiating body, but a venue 6 for leaders to come together to exchange thoughts and ideas. And while it does not have the clout 7 of the Group of 20 leading industrialized and emerging economies, it is an instrument of dialog in a key region of the world.

亚太经济与合作组织不是一个拥有谈判权的正式机构。不过，该组织为成员国领袖交换意见提供了一个论坛。尽管亚太经合组织不具备由工业化国家和新兴经济体共同组成的20国集团那样的影响力，但仍然不失为亚太这个关键区域的对话平台。

Steven Schrage, an expert on international business and trade at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, says the Pacific Rim is vitally important.

华府智库国际与战略研究中心的国际商贸专家斯蒂芬.施拉格通过列举一系列数字来阐述该地区的重要性。

"You've got 60 percent of U.S. exports, 60 percent of world GDP [i.e., gross domestic product]. I believe it is over 50 percent of world trade, three billion consumers - so there is a critical mass of world leaders here with some of the most advanced and important economies," Schrage said.

施拉格说：“亚太地区涵盖了美国60%的出口，全球60%的GDP。我相信这里占全球贸易的二分之一强，这里的消费者人口高达30亿。所以说，这个峰会汇聚了一些世界上最发达、最重要的经济体领导人。”

The APEC forum also gives Pacific Rim leaders a chance to hold numerous one-on-one meetings on the sidelines. President Bush, for example, is expected to confer with the leaders of China, Russia, South Korea, Japan and host Peru.

峰会期间，很多领导人将举行双边会晤。布什总统预计将和中国、俄罗斯、韩国、日本、以及东道国秘鲁领导人举行会谈。

While it will be an opportunity to say his farewells, aides say Mr. Bush has a full agenda for these meetings. They say he wants to discuss North Korea's nuclear ambitions with others involved in the negotiating process with Pyongyang. And they say he wants to discuss Georgia and a proposed missile defense 8 system for Europe with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.

这些会面将给布什提供一个话别的机会。但白宫官员说，布什总统也将和这些领导人探讨实质性问题，其中包括和北韩核问题谈判的参与方讨论平壤核计划。同时，白宫官员说，布什也计划和俄罗斯总统梅德韦杰夫讨论格鲁吉亚以及拟议中的欧洲导弹防御系统。