黄安伟2026年5月14日1972年，尼克松总统访问北京。 Associated PressWhen Richard M. Nixon went to Beijing in 1972, it was a gamble. He was betting that a diplomatic opening with the Communist government, and downgrading relations with Taiwan, which claimed to be the rightful ruler of China, would serve American interests.1972年，理查德·尼克松访问北京是一场豪赌。他押注与共产党政府开启外交接触、降级与自称为中国合法统治者台湾的关系是符合美国利益的。Successive visits to China by American presidents have built on that idea. And for their part, Chinese leaders have viewed the summits as a way to defuse tensions, convey their core interests and offer hope of stronger ties in coming years.此后美国总统历次访华都是建立在这一理念之上。中国领导人则将峰会视为缓和紧张局势、传达自身核心利益以及展望未来几年加强双边关系的一种方式。The visits are in a continuum of alternating dark and bright periods in relations, from the gloom after the massacre around Tiananmen Square to the electricity as China entered the World Trade Organization and became an engine in the global economy.这些访问贯穿于美中关系明暗交替的历程，从天安门广场周边大屠杀后的阴霾到中国加入世界贸易组织并成为全球经济引擎时的蓬勃活力。All the while, American presidents hoped that integration through trade would lead to political change in Beijing one day.一直以来，美国总统们都希望通过贸易融合最终促使北京发生政治变革。As China’s power grew, and the nation became more confident — some argue arrogant — in its dealings with the United States, the dynamics of the summits changed. Many Chinese officials and analysts now regard the United States as a nation in terminal decline.随着中国实力的增长，以及在与美国打交道时变得更加自信——有人认为是傲慢，峰会的态势发生了变化。如今，许多中国官员和分析人士将美国视为一个走向末期衰落的国家。Before his arrival in Beijing on Wednesday, President Trump posted online that he planned to ask Xi Jinping, “a Leader of extraordinary distinction,” to “open up” China — language that echoes the way American presidents have framed relations with China for half a century.在周三抵达北京之前，特朗普总统在网上发帖称，他计划要求“非凡卓越的领导人” 习近平“开放”中国。这一措辞呼应了半个世纪以来美国总统对中美关系的表述方式。19721972年Richard M. Nixon理查德·尼克松1972年，尼克松在宴会上向中国总理周恩来敬酒。Nixon to China is one of the seminal overseas trips by a U.S. president in the post-World War II era.尼克松访华是二战后美国总统最重要的海外出访之一。It came in 1972 after Henry Kissinger, the president’s national security adviser, made a secret trip to Beijing the previous year to feel out the possibilities for a diplomatic opening with Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, the premier. The United States had not had formal relations with the People’s Republic since Mao established it in 1949, and instead had embraced the anti-Communist Kuomintang government on the island of Taiwan as the legitimate ruling power of China.此次访问发生在1972年，此前一年，总统的国家安全顾问亨利·基辛格秘密访问北京，试探与毛泽东及总理周恩来开启外交关系的可能性。自毛泽东于1949年建立中华人民共和国以来，美国与该政权一直没有建立正式关系，而是承认台湾岛上的反共国民党政府为中国的合法统治政权。But an important shift had occurred in geopolitics to spur Mr. Nixon and Mr. Kissinger’s efforts. The Soviet Union and China had grown apart, and it was this split that prompted the Nixon administration to reach out.Nixon’s visit produced memorable moments, including his walk on the Great Wall (“You would have to conclude that this is a great wall and that it had to be built by a great people,” he said) and the arrival later of a pair of pandas at the National Zoo in Washington was an enduring symbol of the international bond.但地缘政治发生的一项重大转变促成尼克松和基辛格展开努力。苏联和中国已经分道扬镳，正是这一分裂促使尼克松政府伸出了橄榄枝。尼克松的访问留下了许多令人难忘的时刻，包括他在长城上的漫步（他说：“你不得不得出这样的结论：这是一座伟大的长城，它必定是由一个伟大的民族建造的”），而随后两只大熊猫抵达华盛顿国家动物园，成了两国纽带的持久象征。19751975年Gerald R. Ford杰拉尔德·福特1975年，福特总统与中国副总理邓小平在北京共进晚餐。President Gerald Ford made a five-day visit to China in December 1975, 10 months before the death of Mao Zedong. China was in the final stage of the Cultural Revolution, the decade-long period resulting from a campaign by Mao to hold onto power that devastated the country’s social, economic and political foundations.杰拉尔德·福特总统于1975年12月对中国进行了为期五天的访问，这距离毛泽东去世还有10个月。当时中国正处于文化大革命的最后阶段。这场由毛泽东发起以巩固权力的运动持续十年，严重破坏了国家的社会、经济和政治根基。The Communist Party was still committed to the path of diplomatic rapprochement with the United States when Mr. Ford visited, and the talks paved the way for normal relations that President Jimmy Carter would establish in 1979. (Mr. Carter did not visit China during his presidency, nor did President Joseph R. Biden Jr.)福特访华时，共产党仍致力于与美国实现外交和解，这些谈判为吉米·卡特总统于1979年建立两国正常外交关系铺平了道路。（卡特在任期内未曾访问中国，拜登总统在任期间也没有。）19841984年Ronald Reagan罗纳德·里根1984年，里根总统和第一夫人南希·里根参观中国长城。 Bob Daugherty/Associated Press里根夫人此行参观了北京动物园的大熊猫。 Bob Daugherty/Associated PressWhen the ardent Cold Warrior Ronald Reagan set foot in China in 1984, he did not talk of a need to overthrow the Chinese Communist Party or to undermine its policies, language that embodied his policy toward the Soviet Union.当坚定的冷战斗士罗纳德·里根于1984年踏上中国土地时，他并没有像针对苏联那样，谈论推翻中国共产党或削弱其政策的必要性。Mr. Reagan visited Beijing as a practical statesman, nudging forward discussions about trade, which would later become the centerpiece of U.S.-China relations.里根以务实政治家的身份访问北京，推动了关于贸易的讨论，而贸易随后成为了美中关系的核心。Mr. Reagan told reporters after his visit that he had been heartened by “the injection of a free market spirit” into the Chinese economy, The New York Times reported.据《纽约时报》报道，里根在访问后告诉记者，中国经济中“注入的自由市场精神”让他深受鼓舞。19891989年George H.W. Bush老布什1989年2月，老布什总统在天安门广场。几个月后，中国军队在同一地点枪杀了数百乃至数千名抗议者。When President George H.W. Bush touched down in Beijing in February 1989, he was returning to a country he had become fond of. His familiarity with China was rooted in his post from 1974 to 1975 as the chief of the U.S. Liaison Office in Beijing, meaning he was the de facto ambassador in a period before formal diplomatic relations were established.老布什总统于1989年2月抵达北京，重返了一个他深感亲切的国家。他对中国的了解源于他在1974年至1975年期间担任美国驻北京联络处主任的经历，这意味着在两国正式外交关系建立之前，他是事实上的美国驻华大使。U.S.-China ties had growing momentum in the months leading up to that visit, but the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre would complicate relations later in 1989.在这次访问前的几个月里，美中关系发展势头良好，但天安门广场的抗议活动和后来的大屠杀使1989年后期的两国关系变得复杂。An episode during Mr. Bush’s visit foretold the quake to come. Ambassador Winston Lord and the U.S. Embassy gave Chinese officials a list of people the U.S. government wanted invited to the state dinner. They included Fang Lizhi, a well-known astrophysicist and political dissenter.布什访问期间的一个插曲预示了即将到来的震荡。大使温斯顿·洛德和美国大使馆向中国官员提供了一份美方希望邀请参加国宴的人员名单，其中包括著名天体物理学家和政治异见人士方励之。Shortly before the banquet, the Chinese government crossed Mr. Fang off the list. American officials objected.就在晚宴开始前不久，中国政府将方励之从名单中划掉。美国官员对此表示反对。Later that year, when the Chinese military killed hundreds or thousands of protesters around Tiananmen Square on June 3 and June 4, Mr. Fang fled to the U.S. Embassy with his wife, Li Shuxian, and hid there for 13 months.同年6月3日和6月4日，当中国军队在天安门广场周边杀害了数百乃至数千名抗议者时，方励之与妻子李淑娴逃进美国大使馆，并在那里躲藏了13个月。“This turned out to be a dinner party that turned out to be a revolution,” Mr. Lord said.“这场晚宴最终变成了一场革命，”洛德说。19981998年Bill Clinton比尔·克林顿1998年，克林顿总统与妻子希拉里·克林顿及女儿切尔西一同参观兵马俑发掘现场。 Paul Richards/Agence France-PressePresident Bill Clinton’s visit to China occurred in a heady decade for the United States following the fall of the Soviet Union, when America — and its system of politics and economics — appeared to be unchallenged in the world.比尔·克林顿总统对中国的访问发生在苏联解体后美国意气风发的十年，当时美国及其政治和经济体制在全世界上似乎无人能敌。This was the “end of history,” as Francis Fukuyama, the political scientist, wrote. To U.S. officials, China appeared to be embracing the inevitable direction of the world order.正如政治学家弗朗西斯·福山所写，这是“历史的终结”。在美国官员看来，中国似乎正在接受世界秩序的必然走向。If engagement was the goal, China’s leader Jiang Zemin projected the right energy for it. He tried to speak English in a few public settings, and even recited lines from the Gettysburg Address.如果“接触”是目标，中国领导人江泽民展现出了恰如其分的热情。他在一些公开场合尝试用英语发言，甚至背诵了《葛底斯堡演说》中的段落。During Mr. Clinton’s visit, Mr. Jiang made a surprise announcement — that their news conference would be televised live.在克林顿访问期间，江泽民做出了一个令人意外的决定——他们的联合新闻发布会将进行电视直播。“That was the most extraordinary interaction I’ve witnessed between Chinese and American leaders,” said Orville Schell, a China analyst who has written about leadership summits for decades. “There’s Clinton bantering with Jiang, and they were clearly enjoying each other’s company.”“那是我见过的中美领导人之间最非同寻常的互动，”数十年来一直撰写关于领导人峰会文章的中国问题分析人士夏伟(Orville Schell)说。“克林顿和江泽民互相调侃，两人显然相处愉快”。Mr. Schell recalled the moment in an interview as he was flying to Beijing on Tuesday to report on Mr. Trump’s visit. “You could see these people were open for business,” he added.周二，夏伟在飞往北京报道特朗普访问的航班上接受采访时回忆起那一幕，他说：“你能看出，这些人已经准备好开始合作了。” 2001, 2002, 2005, 20082001、2002、2005、2008年George W. Bush小布什2001年，小布什总统在上海举行的亚太经合组织峰会上与中国国家主席江泽民握手。 Stephen Jaffe/Agence France-Presse2005年，布什总统在北京参加教堂礼拜。 Charles Dharapak/Associated PressGeorge W. Bush was in the stands in Beijing for the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics, a highly symbolic moment interpreted by many as a “coming out” party for China on the world stage.小布什坐在北京奥运会开幕式的看台上观看2008年夏季奥运会，这次奥运会是一个极具象征意义的时刻，被许多人解读为中国在世界舞台上的“亮相”派对。It was his fourth visit in the era of high globalization, when China’s economy was surging after its entry into the World Trade Organization.这是他在全球化浪潮高涨时期第四次访问中国，加入世界贸易组织后，当时中国的经济正蓬勃发展。But that visit came on the eve of the global financial crisis. That, combined with the Iraq war, resulted in a growing belief on the part of Chinese officials, including Hu Jintao, the party secretary and president, that the United States and its allies had lost their way. In their eyes, China’s ascent seemed unstoppable, and by contrast the systems of the Western nations appeared decadent and hollowed out.但那次访问恰逢全球金融危机前夕。金融危机加上伊拉克战争的影响令包括总书记兼国家主席胡锦涛在内的中国官员日益认为，美国及其盟友已经迷失了方向。在他们看来，中国的崛起似乎势不可挡，相比之下，西方国家的体制显得腐朽空洞。“Now it’s common for people to focus on 2008 as the turning point,” said John Delury, a historian of East Asia. “The Chinese had a sense of confidence then that was seen by the Americans as hubris.”“现在人们普遍将2008年视为转折点，”东亚历史学家鲁乐汉(John Delury)说。“中国人当时拥有一股自信，而美国人则将其视为狂妄”。2009, 2014, 20162009、2014、2016年Barack Obama贝拉克·奥巴马2016年，奥巴马总统在任内最后一次访华期间与习近平主席握手。Mr. Obama’s first visit, in 2009, came in the shadow of the global financial crisis that rippled out from the failures of U.S. financial institutions. While Mr. Obama was trying to dig his country out of its plight, China’s economy basically continued surging.奥巴马2009年首次访问中国，当时正值全球金融危机爆发之际，这场危机源于美国金融机构的倒闭。当奥巴马试图带领美国走出困境时，中国的经济基本保持了强劲增长势头。In talks in Beijing, Mr. Obama raised the planned Copenhagen climate summit and his plans to avert Iran’s nuclear ambitions through trying to forge a diplomatic agreement.在北京举行的会谈中，奥巴马提出了计划中的哥本哈根气候峰会，以及他试图通过外交协议来阻止伊朗核野心的计划。“We sought to find a new balance between the arenas of competition and cooperation, as the world needed and wanted to contribute more to global public goods,” said Evan Medeiros, a Georgetown professor who was senior Asia director on Mr. Obama’s National Security Council. “China was not just reluctant, but it wanted to get compensated for everything it did, much to our eternal frustration.”“我们曾试图在竞争与合作之间寻找一种新的平衡，因为世界需要、也希望中国在全球公共产品方面作出更多贡献，”曾在奥巴马政府国家安全委员会担任亚洲事务高级主任、现任乔治城大学教授的埃文·梅代罗斯说，“但中国不仅态度消极，而且几乎做任何事都希望获得回报，令我们始终极为沮丧。”Mr. Obama visited Beijing again in 2014 for an economic summit of Asian nations but met Xi Jinping for bilateral talks and a state dinner. By then, relations had evolved for the worse. China had become much more aggressive in its military activities in the surrounding seas, angering other Asian nations, and was engaging in cyberespionage regularly against the United States and other powers.奥巴马于2014年再次访问北京，出席亚洲国家的经济峰会，与习近平进行了双边会谈，并出席国宴。那时两国关系已经趋于恶化。中国在周边海域的军事活动变得愈发咄咄逼人，激怒了其他亚洲国家，中国还经常对美国和其他大国进行网络间谍活动。On his final visit, in 2016, Mr. Obama’s jet landed in Hangzhou, but he had to exit from the rear of the aircraft after Chinese workers failed to wheel a staircase to the front of the plane. Though the cause could have been a technical malfunction, many observers interpreted this a snub by China and an emblem of the country’s growing assertiveness.2016年奥巴马最后一次访问中国时，他的专机降落在杭州，但因中国工作人员未能将舷梯推到机头，他不得不从飞机后部下机。虽然原因可能是技术故障，但许多观察家将其解读为中国对他的冷遇，也是中国日益咄咄逼人的象征。20172017年Donald J. Trump唐纳德·特朗普2017年，特朗普总统在首个任期内访问北京期间对习近平说：“你是一位非常特别的人。”Mr. Trump criticized China, and particularly its trade practices, on the campaign trail in 2016. At the same time, progressive politicians were also talking more forcefully about the ills of globalization. Mr. Trump’s trip took place against that backdrop: a desire to place limits on globalization and to reorient certain U.S. industries away from China.2016年竞选期间，特朗普曾多次批评中国，尤其是其贸易行为。与此同时，进步派政治人士也也更有力地指出了全球化的弊端。特朗普的访问正是在这种背景下进行：人们渴望限制全球化，并将某些美国产业从中国转移出去。Mr. Trump was effusive in his praise of Mr. Xi, telling the Chinese leader “you’re a very special man.” The two first couples walked together through an empty Forbidden City, and the leaders announced a handful of trade and investment deals.特朗普对习近平大加赞赏，告诉这位中国领导人，“你是一个非常特别的人。”两对第一夫妇一起在空旷的故宫里漫步，两国领导人宣布了少数几项贸易和投资协议。But Mr. Trump harbored other designs. Soon after the trip, in January 2018, he started a trade war with China. That consumed most of his presidency, along with the pandemic, which many experts say originated in China.但特朗普另有盘算。访华后不久，他于2018年1月对中国发动了贸易战。这场贸易战与新冠疫情（许多专家认为其源头在中国）占据了他总统任期的大部分时间。Relations with China became more combative, though Mr. Trump eschewed talk of democracy and human rights, which pleased Chinese leaders. That was a shift from decades of American policy toward China, one that Mr. Trump would make even more overt in his second administration.尽管特朗普避而不谈民主和人权问题——这令中国领导人感到满意，但美中关系变得更具对抗性。这标志着美国对华政策数十年来发生了转变，特朗普第二任期内这种转变更为显著。黄安伟(Edward Wong)为《纽约时报》报道全球事务、美国外交政策和国务院新闻。翻译：纽约时报中文网点击查看本文英文版。