VOA慢速英語：新加坡成為美朝峰會的最佳舉辦地

Ties with US, North Korea Make Singapore a Good Meeting Place

新加坡成為美朝峰會的最佳舉辦地

American President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have agreed to meet in Singapore on June 12.

美國總統(tǒng)川普和朝鮮領(lǐng)導人金正恩已經(jīng)同意于6月12日在新加坡會晤。

Singapore's position in Asia, and diplomatic ties with the U.S. and North Korea, make it a natural choice for the historic meeting.

新加坡在亞洲的位置以及同美朝兩國的外交關(guān)系使得它成為這次歷史性會晤的自然選擇。

Trump announced the meeting in a tweet Thursday.

川普周四在推特上公布了這次會晤。

Singapore is one of the few countries that have diplomatic relations with both North Korea and the United States. It is also considered a neutral place.

新加坡是少數(shù)幾個同朝鮮和美國都保持外交關(guān)系的國家之一。它被認為是一處中立的地點。

About Singapore

關(guān)于新加坡

The city-state of less than 6 million people is between Malaysia and Indonesia. The country has 700 square kilometers of land. That is about three and one half times the size of Washington, DC.

這個人口不到600萬人的城市國家位于馬來西亞和印尼之間。該國擁有700平方公里的土地，相當于華盛頓特區(qū)面積的3.5倍。

Britain founded Singapore as a trading colony in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963, but became independent two years later.

英國在1819年發(fā)掘了新加坡作為一個貿(mào)易殖民地。它于1963年加入馬來西亞聯(lián)邦，但是在兩年后取得獨立。

The country maintains strong international trading ties. It is a port city, between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, on one of the busiest waterways in the world.

該國維持著強大的國際貿(mào)易關(guān)系。這是一個位于中國南海和印度洋這片最繁忙水域之間的港口城市。

Singapore is also a wealthy country, with incomes similar to those of leading European nations.

新加坡也是一個富裕國家，收入與歐洲主要國家接近。

The country has been ruled by one party since gaining independence in 1965. Protests cannot take place without permission. Movement is limited and there are controls on media.

該國自1965年獨立以來一直由一黨統(tǒng)治。未經(jīng)允許不得游行示威。運動受到了限制，對媒體也有控制。

Why Singapore?

為什么選新加坡?

Tom Plant is an expert on nuclear issues at London's Royal United Services Institute. He said Singapore is "a great location" for the meeting.

湯姆·普蘭特(Tom Plant)是倫敦皇家聯(lián)合服務(wù)研究所的一名專家。他說新加坡是這次會晤的絕佳地點。

Plant told the Associated Press that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "will be on friendly territory, not hostile territory. But he wouldn't be on home turf."

普蘭特對美聯(lián)社表示，朝鮮領(lǐng)導人“將會出現(xiàn)在友邦而不是敵國。但也不會在自家地盤。”

North Korea's state companies have, in the past, traded with Singaporean companies. Under pressure from the United States, Singapore officially stopped trade relations with North Korea in 2017.

朝鮮的國營企業(yè)過去同新加坡公司存在貿(mào)易往來。在美國的壓力下，新加坡在2017年正式斷絕與朝鮮的貿(mào)易關(guān)系。

U.S. ties to Singapore are strong.

美國同新加坡聯(lián)系非常緊密。

The port city has long provided services to visiting U.S. Navy ships in the Asia-Pacific area. It is also the regional headquarters of large American companies including Google, Facebook and Airbnb.

這個港口城市長期為出訪亞太地區(qū)的美國海軍艦艇提供服務(wù)。它也是包括google、Facebook和Airbnb在內(nèi)的美國大型企業(yè)的區(qū)域總部。

Former U.S. Ambassador to Singapore David Adelman said Singapore is the perfect location for the meeting. He said, "Singapore has been a great friend to the U.S. But also Singapore has carefully worked to be a friend to all, which has earned it trust in capitals around the world."

美國前任駐新加坡大使戴維·阿德爾曼(David Adelman)表示，新加坡是這次會晤的最佳地點。他說，“新加坡一直是美國的好朋友。但是新加坡也謹慎地致力于成為所有國家的朋友，并贏得了世界各國政府的信任。”

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, "We hope this meeting will advance prospects for peace in the Korean Peninsula."

新加坡外交部在一份聲明中表示：“我們希望這次會晤能夠推動朝鮮半島的和平前景。”

In 2015, Singapore was the site of another historic meeting, between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwan's then-President Ma Ying-jeou. It was the first such meeting since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

2015年，新加坡成為了中國國家主席習近平同中國臺灣地區(qū)時任領(lǐng)導人馬英九之間歷史性會晤的主辦地。這是1949年中華人民共和國成立以為首次舉行這樣的會晤。

I'm Caty Weaver.

凱蒂·韋弗報道。