On November 17, a chief foreign correspondent for NBC sent out a tweet that went viral: The more I talk to sources, the more I’m hearing America’s betrayal of the Kurds, and the humiliation, “misogynistic” “squashing” of U.S. ambassador in Ukraine for political motivations makes people think, we, Americans, have become the “bad guys.” Hearing it was gut punch.
11月17日，美国国家广播公司（NBC）一名首席驻外记者的推文在网络上迅速传播开来：和受访者谈得越多，我听到人们谈论美国对库尔德人的背叛也就越多。还有，美国出于政治目的，对其驻乌克兰大使的羞辱、性别歧视和倾轧都让人们觉得，我们美国人俨然都变成了“恶棍”。听到这些，我深受打击。
The tweet immediately caused an uproar. Many questioned how, as a foreign correspondent, he only now sees this now– despite all the destruction the U.S. has caused in Libya, Syria and Iraq, to name a few, by supporting pro-U.S. factions, even terrorists, in the name of “promoting democracy and human rights.”
这条推文立即引起了轩然大波。很多人质疑说，美国一直打着“传播民主和保护人权”的旗号四处支持亲美势力甚至恐怖分子，给利比亚、叙利亚、伊拉克等诸多地区造成极大破坏。而他作为一名驻外记者，怎么可能如此后知后觉？
Yet today, I’m afraid, that list is set to grow a bit longer to include Hong Kong. On November 19, the U.S. Senate passed the so-called “Hong Kong Democracy and Human Rights Act,” after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a similar bill in October. The bill requires an annual review of the city’s status as a special free-trade port, and, most crucially, allows for “sanctions on those responsible for human rights violations in Hong Kong.”
今天，恐怕这份受害者名单会变得更长，把香港也要包括在内。11月19日，美国参议院通过一项所谓的“香港人权与民主法案”，此前美国众议院则在10月份通过了一项相似的法案。该法案要求每年对香港的特殊自贸港地位进行审查。而且更重要的是，允许 “制裁香港境内侵犯人权事件的相关责任人”。
Despite so much rumor and fake news coming out of Hong Kong, any person with the most basic common sense and conscience can see how a small gang of rioters have inflicted growing violence and destruction in Hong Kong. One man was killed by a brick, another set ablaze and countless others assaulted or intimidated. Businesses, including American ones, have been targeted for retaliation, smashed up, set on fire, or forced to close, either for opposing the riots or simply for being linked to the Chinese mainland. Subway facilities have been torched, roads destroyed, the airport paralyzed. The list goes on.
尽管香港充斥着各种小道消息和虚假新闻，但任何有着基本常识和良知的人都明白暴力和破坏是如何在一小撮暴徒的煽动下不断升级的。有人被砖头打死，有人遭纵火焚烧，还有数不清的人遭到攻击和恐吓。包括美国公司在内的许多企业都遭到报复、打砸、纵火或被迫停业，要么是因为这些企业反对暴乱，要么仅仅是因为他们有中国内地背景。地铁设施被烧毁、道路被破坏、机场瘫痪……诸如此类，不一而足。
During five months, 700 public disruptions have gripped Hong Kong, dragging the economy into a technical recession.
过去的五个月里，香港共发生700次公共骚乱，经济陷入技术性衰退。
In light of all that, the U.S. Congress still chose to side with rioters, through this bill. They are earning Americans the title of “bad guys” in the heart of many more people. No need for quotation marks, actually.
即便如此，美国国会仍然选择通过这项法案，支持暴徒。他们给美国人在更多人心中赢得了“恶棍”的名号。真是名副其实，当之无愧。
Fortunately, Hong Kong is not Tripoli. Note the swiftness of reaction and level of response coming from various authorities in China, a country that takes pride in its tradition of prudence. Within hours of the Senate approving the act, seven official statements were released by the Chinese legislative and political consultative bodies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the HK Special Administrative Region government and three other offices – all opposing it in the strongest possible terms. Such a swift, stern and unified response is extremely rare, in my eyes. Obviously, China was prepared for such an event and carefully contemplated their reaction and the possible consequences. Note the stark warning, echoed in the statements: If the U.S. continues down the wrong path, China will take resolute measures to fight back. What kind of measures? I don’t want to speculate. But the point China wants to make is crystal clear: It won’t swallow it.
幸运的是，香港不是的黎波里。法案通过后，中国各相关部门做出了迅速回应。别忘了，中国是个素来视审慎为传统美德的国家。美国参议院通过法案后的数小时内，中国的立法和政治协商机构、外交部、香港特别行政区政府以及另外三个机关共发表了七份官方声明，均表示最强烈的抗议。如此迅速、坚决和统一的回应在我看来实属罕见。显然，中国对这个事件早有准备，并且慎重考虑过回应的方式和可能产生的后果。这些声明均作出严正警告：如果美国继续在错误的道路上执迷不悟，中国必将采取坚决措施予以还击。什么样的措施？我不想做任何推测。但重点是，中国想要明确传达这样一个信息：中国绝不会默默忍受。
Hong Kong enjoys special free-port treatment from the U.S., but remember: that’s also special treatment for U.S. businesses. By holding that status hostage, the U.S. will surely hurt its own interests. (Doesn’t this sound familiar, that the U.S. is willing to hurt itself, in order to hurt China?) But never forget Hong Kong is not on its own: it has the strong backing of 1.3 billion people and the 12 trillion U.S. dollars Chinese economy. China needs HK to continue channeling international capital and trade, but China will not blink on matters concerning national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
美国的确赋予了香港自由港的特殊待遇，但不要忘了，对于美国企业来说，这同样也是特殊待遇。如果以这一地位要挟香港，那么美国自身的利益也必然受损。（美国宁可杀敌一千自损八百也要伤害中国的利益，这听起来是不是很耳熟？）但请记住，香港不是单枪匹马在战斗。它的身后有着13亿中国人民和总量为12万亿美元的中国经济。中国需要香港继续作为国际资本和贸易流动的渠道发挥作用，但在有关国家主权和领土完整的问题上绝不会让步。
There may be some inconveniences if the free-port status is put in jeopardy or even placed on hold. Yet China is big enough to weather the difficulties. Just as the trade war has shown, the flexibility of the Chinese people is a tad greater than many in the U.S. could imagine.
如果香港自由港地位受到质疑甚至被取消，有可能会产生一些不便。但中国有足够的能力克服这些困难。正如贸易战所展示的那样，中国人的韧性比许多美国人想象的要多一些。
In the case of Hong Kong, its role in China’s economy has gradually shifted, the city is already set to accelerate its integration into China’s broader development, through the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
香港在中国经济中的作用已经逐渐发生了变化。随着一带一路倡议和粤港澳大湾区建设的推进，这座城市已经在加速融入中国的宏观发展蓝图。
So, if U.S. lawmakers insist on being bad guys, China won’t sit idly by or be intimidated. Hong Kong is not Tripoli.
所以，如果美国立法者执意做恶棍，中国绝不会坐视不理或被威吓住。香港不是的黎波里。
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