What travel agent would think it convenient to fly through New York from Asia on the way to Central America? When is a foreign president’s travel to the U.S. not a “visit” but a mere “transit”? What makes China warn of a “serious, serious, serious” confrontation with the United States?
哪家旅行社会认为从亚洲经纽约飞往中美洲比较方便？ 什么时候外国元首访美不敢称“访问”而改称“过境”？ 是什么让中国怒斥对美会有“严重、严重、严重”的反击？

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen touched down in the Big Apple on Wednesday. The White House and State Department are insisting, in keeping with diplomatic tradition, that it’s a “transit” not a “visit” because the United States is trying to keep the blowback from Beijing to a minimum. (OK, officially, it’s because the two sides don’t have formal diplomatic relations.)
台湾总统蔡英文周三抵达纽约。 白宫和国务院坚称，按照外交传统，这是一次“过境”而不是“访问”，因为 美国正试图将北京的反击降到最低。 （好吧，官话讲得好，因为双方没有正式外交关系。）

Tsai will “transit” from the United States to Belize and Guatemala. Then, on her way home, she will “transit” again, this time through Los Angeles. In California, she’s expected to make a speech and meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
蔡英文将从美国“过境”到伯利兹和危地马拉。 然后，在回家的路上，她将再次“过境”，这次是经过洛杉矶。 在加利福尼亚州，她预计将发表演讲并会见众议院议长凯文麦卡锡（R-Calif。）。

If that sounds more like a trip to Taiwan’s most important international patron, and two of the dwindling number of countries that formally recognize Taipei rather than Beijing, than it does a stopover in the world’s largest airport departure lounge, well, you’re not a diplomat.
如果这听起来不像是在世界上最大的机场中途停留候机，而是更像去访问台湾最重要的国际伙伴，也是日益减少的正式承认中华民国而不是中华人民共和国的两个国家，，好吧，只能说明你不是外交官。

Washington, Taipei, Beijing
华盛顿，台北，北京

Here are some basic realities that feed the traditional drama over Tsai’s visit:
以下是蔡英文访问大戏中的一些基本现实：

Beijing describes Taiwan as part of China and has warned that, if necessary, it will assert control over the island by force. It regularly stages major shows of military power that could, one day, be a prelude to an invasion.
北京将台湾描述为中国的一部分，并警告说，如有必要，它将以武力 控制台湾。 它定期展示军事实力，有朝一日可能成为入侵的前奏。

The United States shifted formal diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979 and acknowledges the existence, but not the legitimacy, of the mainland’s claim Taiwan is part of “One China.”
美国于 1979 年将正式的外交承认从台湾变成了中国，并承认大陆声称台湾是“一个中国”的一部分的存在，但不承认其合法性。

But the United States is committed to help Taiwan defend itself under U.S. law, notably the Taiwan Relations Act, regularly sells it billions of dollars in advanced weapons, and uses the private “American Institute in Taiwan” as a de facto embassy.
但是美国根据美国法律，特别是《台湾关系法》，承诺帮助台湾自卫，定期向台湾出售价值数十亿美元的先进武器，并使用私人的“美国在台研究所” ”作为事实上的大使馆。

The United States says it does not support Taiwan independence, and says any tensions should be resolved diplomatically.
美国表示不支持台湾独立，并表示任何紧张局势都应通过外交方式解决。

We’re not *not* encouraging this
我们不是*不*鼓励这样做

In the run up to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) August 2022 travel to Taiwan, which made her the most senior U.S. official to visit since 1997, President Biden made the visit harder to pull off.
在时任众议院议长南希·佩洛西（加利福尼亚州民主党）2022 年 8 月访问台湾之前，这使她成为自 1997 年以来访问台湾的最高级美国官员，拜登总统更是让那次访问难以取消。

Days before she left, Biden publicly confirmed the unannounced trip was in the works while also making it clear the Pentagon opposed it. “The military thinks it’s not a good idea right now,” he told reporters. In other words, the brass felt the trip was bad for U.S. national security.
在她离开前几天，拜登公开证实了这次未经宣布的访问正在进行中，同时也明确表示五角大楼反对。 “军方认为现在这不是一个好主意，”他告诉记者。 换句话说，高层认为此行对美国国家安全不利。

Publicly, the White House said the trip was up to her as the leader of a coequal branch of government. Privately, Biden aides anonymously let it be known they worried the trip would escalate tensions in an already fraught relationship with Beijing.
白宫在公开场合表示，作为同等政府部门的领导人，此次访问取决于她。 私下里，拜登的助手们匿名透露，他们担心此行会加剧与北京本已紧张的关系的紧张局势。

This time around, Tsai reportedly convinced McCarthy to back off plans to come see her in Taiwan and to meet on U.S. soil instead. The White House made no public attempt to discourage Tsai from coming, or the speaker from meeting with her.
据报道，这一次，蔡英文说服麦卡锡放弃来台湾见她的计划，而是在美国本土会面。 白宫没有公开试图阻止蔡英文来访，也没有阻止发言人与她会面。

“We leave Speaker McCarthy to talk to his schedule, his agenda, and what he intends to do or not do, particularly in relation to this transit,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Wednesday.
国家安全委员会发言人约翰柯比周三对记者说：“我们让麦卡锡议长讨论他的日程安排、议程以及他打算做什么或不做什么，特别是与这次过境有关的事情。”

As for Tsai, “this transit is consistent with our long-standing, unofficial relationship with Taiwan,” Kirby said, noting she has come six times since taking office in 2016. “There is no reason — none — for the Chinese to overreact here.”
至于蔡英文，“这次过境符合我们与台湾长期的非官方关系，”柯比说，并指出她自 2016 年上任以来已经来过六次。“中国人没有理由——没有理由——在这里反应过度 ”

‘Serious, serious, serious’ Chinese anger
“严重、严重、严重”的中国愤怒

Beijing reacted angrily to Pelosi’s visit, staging large military deployments, including live-fire exercises by ships and fighters in the water and sky around Taiwan.
北京对佩洛西的访问做出了愤怒的反应，进行了大规模的军事部署，包括在台湾周围的水域和天空进行舰船和战斗机的实弹演习。

They aren’t happy this time around, either. On Wednesday evening, Washington time, a senior diplomat in China’s embassy to the United States, Chargé d'affaires Xu Xueyuan, briefed reporters over Zoom about Beijing’s rage and possible consequences.
这次他们也不高兴。 华盛顿时间周三晚上，中国驻美国大使馆高级外交官徐学元临时代办通过 Zoom 向记者介绍了北京的愤怒和可能的后。

“Those who play with fire, will perish by it,” Xu said.
“玩火者，必自焚”，徐说。

The new normal
新常态

The thing is, the Biden administration and Beijing have escalated tensions, and that frosty new normal is part of why China’s rhetoric has also escalated.
问题是，拜登政府和北京的紧张局势升级，而冷淡的新常态是中国言论也升级的部分原因。

Biden has been trying to cut off exports to China of microchip and other high-tech goods. He also hasn’t lifted former president Donald Trump’s vast tariffs on Chinese products.
拜登一直试图切断对中国的微芯片和其他高科技产品的出口。 他也没有取消前总统唐纳德特朗普对中国产品征收的巨额关税。

The president has also said — not once, not twice, not three times, but four times — that the United States would defend Taiwan militarily if Beijing attacked. That's a big break from the previous policy of “strategic ambiguity” about how Washington would respond.
总统还说过——不是一次，不是两次，不是三次，而是四次——如果北京进攻，美国将在军事上保卫台湾。 这与之前关于华盛顿将如何回应的“战略模糊”政策大相径庭。

Who could forget the Chinese spy balloon?
谁能忘记中国间谍气球？

Or Chinese leader Xi Jinping refusing to condemn Russia’s expanded war in Ukraine, and helping Moscow resist vast U.S.-led sanctions?
还是中国领导人习近平拒绝谴责俄罗斯在乌克兰扩大战争，并帮助莫斯科抵制以美国为首的大规模制裁？

Recently, the White House has publicly pushed for renewed diplomatic contacts, starting with a telephone call between Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Beijing has demurred.
最近，白宫公开推动恢复外交接触，首先是拜登与中国领导人习近平通电话。 北京表示反对。

Tsai’s visit wouldn’t appear to make that more likely.
蔡英文的访问似乎不会增加这种可能性。

标红字体均为楼主更改，与原文作者无关。

这是要吓死习主席吗？？？