Globalization: Opportunities and Challenges for China’s You

Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. Today I’m very happy to be here to share with you some of my thoughts on the topic of Globalization. And first of all, I would like to mention an event  in our recent history.

Thirty years ago, American President Richard Nixon made an epoch-making visit to China, a country still isolated 1 at that time. Premier 2 Zhou Enlai said to him, “Your handshake came over the vastest ocean in the world - twenty-five years of no communi-cation.” Ever since then, China and America have exchanged many handshakes of various kinds. The fundamental 1)implication of this example is that the need and desire to communicate across differences in culture and 2)ideology 3 is not only felt by the two countries but by many other nations as well.

As we can see today, environmentalists from different countries are making joint 4 efforts to address the issue of global warming, economists 5 are seeking solutions to financial crises that rage in a particular region but nonetheless cripple the world’s economy, and diplomats 6 and politicians are getting together to discuss the issue of combating terrorism. Peace and prosperity has become a common goal that we are striving for all over the world. Underlying 7 this mighty 8 trend of globalization is the echo of 3)E. M. Forster’s words, “Only connect!”

With the IT revolution taking place, traditional boundaries of human society fall away. Our culture, politics, society and commerce are being 4)sloshed into a large 5)melting pot of humanity. In this interlinked world, there are no outsiders, for a disturbance 9 in one place is likely to impact other parts of the globe. We have begun to realize that a world divided cannot endure.

China is now actively 10 integrating into the world. Our recent entry to the WTO is a good example. For decades, we have taken pride in being self-reliant, but now we realize the importance of participating in and contributing to a broader economic order. From the 6)precarious 11 role in the world arena 12 to our present WTO membership, we have come a long way.

But what does the way ahead look like? In some parts of the world people are demonstrating against globalization. Are they justified 13, then, in criticizing the globalizing world? Instead of narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor, they say, globalization enables  developed nations to swallow the developing nations’ wealth in debts and interest. Globalization, they argue, should be about an earnest interest in every other nation’s economic health.

We are reminded by Karl Marx that capital goes beyond national borders and eludes 14 control from any other 7)entity 15. This has become a reality. Multinational 16 corporations are seeking the lowest cost, the largest market, and the most favorable policy. They are often powerful lobbyists in government decision-making, ruthless expansionists in the global market place and a devastating 17 presence to local businesses.

For China, still more challenges exist. How are we going to ensure a smooth 8)transition from the planned economy to a market-based one? How to construct a legal system that is sound enough and broad enough to respond to the needs of a 9)dynamic society? How to maintain our cultural identity in an increasingly 10)homogeneous world? And how to define greatness in our rise as a peace-loving nation? Globalization entails 18 questions that concern us all.

Like many young people my age in China, I want to see my country get prosperous and enjoying respect in the international community. But it seems to me that mere 19 11)patriotism 20 is not just enough. It is vitally important that we young people do more serious thinking and broaden our minds to bigger issues. And there might never be easy answers to those issues such as globalization, but to take them on and give them honest thinking is the first step to be prepared for both opportunities and challenges coming our way. And this is also one of the thoughts that came to me while preparing this speech. Thank you! CE

22、全球化：中国年轻一代所面临的机遇与挑战

女士们、先生们，早上好。很高兴今天能在此就“全球化”这一主题来和大家谈谈我的想法。首先，我要提到的是近代史上的一件大事。

三十年前，美国总统理查德·尼克松来中国进行了具有划时代意义的访问，那时中国正受到美国孤立。周恩来总理对他说了这样一番话：“你与我的握手越过了世界上最为辽阔的海洋，这个海洋就是互不交往的25年。”自从那以后，美国和中国已经握过多次不同的手。这一事件充分表明:不同文化、不同意识形态之间的交流不仅仅是两个国家的需要和愿望，也是更多其它国家的心声。

正如我们今天所看到的，不同国家的环保专家们正齐心协力在全球变暖这一问题上各抒己见；经济学家们一同寻找着对付金融危机的办法，虽然这一危机只发生在一定区域，但它还是会阻碍世界经济的发展；外交官和政治家们则聚到一起探讨打击恐怖主义的问题。和平与繁荣已成为全世界共同奋斗的目标。如此强大趋势的“全球化”正应证了E. M. 福斯特的那句话：“但求沟通！”

随着IT产业的出现，传统的人类社会分界线也随之消失。我们的文化、政治、社会和商业都被放入一个人性的大熔炉里。在这个互相联系的世界里，没有局外人，任何地区性的不稳定因素都可能波及全世界。我们已意识到一个分裂的世界是无法长存的。

中国现在正积极地融入世界，前不久加入世贸就是一个很好的例子。几十年来，我们总是以自立为荣，但是现在我们意识到了参与和促成更为广阔的经济秩序的重要性。从世界舞台上的一个不稳定角色到如今的世贸组织成员，我们走过了一段漫长的路。

但是前方的路又将如何？世界上部分国家的人民示威游行，反对全球化。那么，他们责怪世界全球化有道理吗？他们又说，全球化只能使发达国家通过债务与利息吞并发展中国家的财富，而不是缩短贫富之间的差距。全球化，他们认为，应该是对其它国家经济健康的一种关注。

卡尔·马克思提醒我们，资本跨越国界，便会逃离对象国政治实体的管制，这一点已成为现实。跨国公司一直在实行寻求最低成本、最大市场和最多收益的政策。他们常常在政府做决定时施加强大的影响力，在全球市场上无情地扩张并在地区贸易中形成极强的杀伤力。

对于中国来说，仍然是挑战居多。我们如何确保从计划经济向市场经济平稳过渡？如何建立一个足够健全、足够广泛的法制体系来适应一个生机勃勃的社会的需要？如何在这个日益同化的世界中保持我们的文化特性？还有，如何树立我们这个爱好和平的国度的良好形象？全球化所牵涉的问题关系到我们大家。

和中国的许多同龄人一样，我期待着我的祖国变得繁荣，受到国际社会的尊重。但是对我来说，仅仅爱国是不够的，我们年轻人多做一些冷静的思考，把视野拓展到更大的问题上，这才是最为重要的。也许回答那些诸如全球化的问题并不是件容易的事，但是我们可以关注它们，对它们做一些认真的思考，这是我们迎接所有机遇和挑战的准备工作的第一步，这也是我准备这次演讲比赛时时刻刻的想法之一。谢谢！CE

1) implication [ 7impli5keiFEn] n. 含意，暗示

2) ideology [ aidi5ClEdVi] n. 意识形态

3) E. M. Forster  爱德华·摩根·福斯特

(1879-1970) 是本世纪英国著名的作家。

4) slosh [slCF] v. 溅，泼

5) melting pot  大熔炉

6) precarious [pri5kZEriEs] a. 不确定的，不安全的

7) entity [5entiti] n. 实体

8) transition [trAn5ziFEn] n. 转变，过渡，转换

9) dynamic [dai5nAmik] a. 动力的，动力学的

10) homogeneous [ hCmEu5dVi:njEs] a. 同类的，相似的

11) patriotism [5pAtriEtizEm] n. 爱国心，爱国精神