鮑克斯大使談美中關係
滋味人生
作者：By Max Baucus
Mr. Chairman， 1）Ranking Member Corker， Members of the committee， it is an honor to appear before you today as President Obama’s 2）nominee to serve as the next United States Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China.
The United States-China relationship is one of the most important 3）bilateral relationships in the world. It will shape global affairs for generations to come. We must get it right.
If confirmed， I look forward to working with Members of this Committee and with other Members of Congress to achieve that goal and strengthen ties between our two countries.
My 4）fascination with China goes back 50 years to my days as a college student at Stanford. I was a young man who grew up on a 5）ranch outside Helena， Montana， full of youthful idealism and curiosity. So I packed a 6）backpack， I took a year off from my studies， 7）hitchhiked around the world， set out to visit countries I had only imagined—India， Japan， China， just to name a few.
Before I 8）departed， I had never thought about a life in public service. But that trip opened my eyes. I realized how people across the globe were interconnected. I saw the 9）vital role America plays as a leader on the world stage. I returned to the States with a focus and commitment to a career where I could improve the lives of my fellow Montanans and my fellow Americans.
I came to Washington in 1973 with the goal of working with my colleagues in Congress to address the challenges facing our nation. Throughout my career， I have tried my best to do just that.
I am proud of the role I played 10）spearheading environmental protection， and strengthening America’s health and safety net programs， and fighting for Montana. I am especially proud of the work I have done to build ties and 11）foster 12）collaboration between the United States and countries around the world.
My capacity as Senate Finance Committee Chair and Ranking Member， I led the passage and 13）enactment of Free Trade Agreements with 11 countries： Australia， Bahrain， Jordan， Chile， Colombia， Morocco， Oman， Panama， Peru， Singapore and South Korea.
My position has also allowed me to travel to emerging and established markets on behalf of the United States. And since 1910 alone， I’ve been on the ground working to advance U.S. trade interests in Germany， Spain， Belgium， Russia， Japan， New Zealand， Brazil， Colombia， and China.
I have learned some core lessons along the way. One of the most important， I have become to， I have become a firm believer that a strong 14）geopolitical relationship can be born out of a strong economic relationship， which often begins with trade.
In fact， America’s relationship with China began with trade. In 1784， a U.S. trade ship called the Empress of China sailed into what is now the port of Guangzhou. That visit opened a trade route that moved small amounts of tea， silk， and 15）porcelain. Today， U.S.-China trade accounts for more than 500 billion dollars in goods and services each year.