U.S. Warning to China Sends Ripples to the Koreas

The International Herald Tribune

January 20, 2011

WASHINGTON — President Obama warned President Hu Jintao that if China did not step up its pressure on North Korea, the United States would have to redeploy its forces in Asia to protect itself from a potential North Korean strike on American soil, a senior administration official said Thursday.

Mr. Obama’s warning, first made in a phone call to Mr. Hu last month and repeated over a private dinner at the White House on Tuesday, persuaded China to take a harder line toward North Korea, the official said, which opened the door to a resumption of dialogue between North and South Korea.

On Thursday, the South Korea government said that it had agreed to hold defense talks with the North, the first engagement between the Koreas since a deadly North Korean artillery attack on a South Korean island in November seemed to push the peninsula to the brink of war.

China’s change of heart is far from complete: Beijing has still not condemned North Korea for torpedoing a South Korean warship. During Mr. Hu’s visit, China for the first time joined the United States in publicly expressing concern over a new North Korean uranium-enrichment plant. But there were no immediate signs that it planned to punish the North for its defiance.

Still, Mr. Obama’s pressure, reinforced by cabinet members like Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, moved China into much closer alignment with the United States in dealing with North Korea.

Continuing his United States tour, Mr. Hu traveled from the White House to the chillier end of Pennsylvania Avenue on Thursday to meet with lawmakers waiting to take him to task over issues like human rights and trade policy. Mr. Hu later met with business leaders.

North Korea dominated the intimate dinner that Mr. Obama held for Mr. Hu on Tuesday, the official said. Mr. Obama focused on the North’s recently disclosed uranium-enrichment plant, saying that it was one part of a three-pronged threat to the United States that also included the North’s production of plutonium bombs and development of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Without help from China, which is the major supporter of the North Korean government, Mr. Obama told Mr. Hu that the United States would have to take long-term measures, like redeploying its forces, changing its defense posture or beefing up military exercises in Northeast Asia, according to the administration official.

The move to resume talks has required concessions from all sides. South Korea has had to swallow its reluctance to engage the North without an apology for its recent attacks. And the United States has had to abandon its resistance to resuming multiparty negotiations with North Korea.

The North proposed the defense talks, as well as a meeting between the countries’ defense ministers, according to the South Korean Unification Ministry. The ministry said the South was willing to hold higher-level talks, but only if the North took responsibility for its actions.

Ex. 2. Какой из предложенных вариантов лучше всего выражает основную мысль статьи?

a. The article is about the visit of the Chinese president to the US.

b. The article is about the US successful involvement in the situation on the Korean peninsular.

c. The US President persuaded the visiting Chinese leader to increase pressure on North Korea saying the US would have to redeploy American forces in Asia otherwise. North and South Koreas indicated shortly afterwards that they were ready to resume talks.

d. President Obama held talks with President Hu Jintao. He managed to persuade usually reluctant China to take a harder line toward North Korea after warning President Hu Jintao that the US would have to redeploy its forces in Asia if China didn’t cooperate. The situation on the Korean peninsular is tense but the two countries agreed to hold defense talks.

Ex.3. Сформулируйте отношение автора к теме статьи. Обоснуйте своё мнение.

Ex.4. Анализ примеров связности текста:

1. Пронумеруйте абзацы статьи для упрощения «навигации» по тексту.

2. Обратите внимание на то, как развивается идея перемены позиции Китая в абзаце 1, 2, 4, 5 соответственно: to step up its pressure (1)  to take a harder line (2)  China’s change of heart (4)  much closer alignment with the US (5).

Прокомментируйте, как развивается в абзаце 3, 9 и 10 идея открывшейся возможности возобновления диалога opened the door to a resumption of dialogue, сформулированная в абзаце 2.

3. Примеры на связующую функцию определенного артикля: a senior administration official (в абзаце 1)  the

official said (в абзаце 2 и 7), the administration official (в абзаце 8); defense talks (в абзаце 3)  the defense talks (в абзаце 10); the Koreas (в абзаце 3); the move to resume talks (в абзаце 9) и др.

Прокомментируйте употребление the intimate dinner в абзаце 7, предложите вариант перевода этого словосочетания.

4. Как проявляется связующая функция наречия still (абзац 5)?

Ex.5. Примеры контекстуального анализа значения слов.

1. Обратите внимание на слово defiance, встретившееся в абзаце 4. Контекст, поясняющий его значение, содержится как в предыдущем предложении, в котором упоминается о новом заводе в Северной Корее по обогащению урана, так и вне данной статьи. Имеется в виду нарушение Северной Кореей запрета на развитие ядерной программы в военных целях. Предложите свой вариант перевода этого слова.

2. Проанализируйте фразу …Mr. Hu traveled from the White House to the chillier end of Pennsylvania Avenue… в абзаце 6. Как в контексте данного абзаца можно перевести эту фразу?

3. Переведите заголовок статьи. Как лучше перевести словосочетание to send ripples в контексте данной статьи?

Ex.6. Выпишите и выучите следующую лексику:

1) to step sth up (to step up security measures, efforts etc.)

2) deadly (a deadly attack, disease)

3) to condemn sb/sth (for sth)

4) defiance (to defy sth, to act in defiance of)

5) long-term (a long-term strategy)

6) a concession (to make concessions)

7) to abandon sth

8) to be willing to do sth

Итак, при работе с каждой статьей:

1. Прочитайте всю статью и сформулируйте её основную мысль.