美国正寻求在亚太地区重建更为强大的影响力，这一地区在乔治?W·布什(George W. Bush)主政时期遭到相对忽视。美国希望该地区的贸易和外交关系符合国际准则（爱挖苦的人可能会说是美国准则）。但时代已变。该地区事务在越来越大程度上正按照中国的条件开展。例如，希拉里去年在越南的一次亚洲安全会议上表示，美国乐于在中国及其南海邻国之间的争议中担任调停角色，对此中国政府作出愤怒反弹。尽管美国在亚太地区的军事、外交和经济方面仍具有重大影响力，但美国无法像以前那样直截了当地维护其利益上海英语口译。

Washington is seeking to re-establish a stronger presence in the Asia Pacific region, a part of the world relatively neglected by the former administration of George W. Bush. The US wants the region’s trade and diplomatic relations to be run along international – the cynic might say American – lines. But times have changed. Business is increasingly conducted on China’s terms. When, for example, Mrs Clinton told an Asian security gathering in Vietnam last year that the US was happy to mediate in disputes between China and its neighbours in the South China Sea, Beijing pushed back angrily. The US, though still a huge military, diplomatic and economic presence in the region, cannot assert its interests as forthrightly as it once could.

美国的战略是，在不惹恼中国的情况下悄悄返回亚太地区的核心。这是一个难以实现的目标。在希拉里战战兢兢地踏上中国内地之前，她本周在香港的一篇演讲暴露了美国这一微妙的政策目标。题为“亚太繁荣的原则”(Principles for Prosperity in the Asia-Pacific)的这篇演讲，巧妙地避免提及中国，即使字里行间说的都是中国。出于对北京方面的尊重，她甚至在谈及香港时都用词谨慎，避免提及香港在走向更真正民主过程中受挫的进展俄语翻译。

Washington’s strategy is to try to slip back stealthily into the heart of Asia Pacific without ruffling Chinese feathers. It is a tall order. A hint of this delicate policy objective was on display in a speech Mrs Clinton gave in Hong Kong this week just before she poked her toe gingerly into mainland China. Entitled “Principles for Prosperity in the Asia-Pacific”, the address masterfully avoided almost any mention of Beijing even though China lurked in the shadows. In apparent deference to Beijing, she even trod carefully in her remarks about Hong Kong, avoiding any reference to its frustrated progress towards a more genuine democracy.