骆家辉大使在中国人民大学发表关于言论自由和法治的演讲（中英对照）

Another force of stability in American society is freedom of speech. We view freedom of expression as a universal right, and indeed it is enshrined in China’s constitution as well as our own. It is an integral part of the American Constitution’s First Amendment, which sets forth our basic freedoms of speech, religious belief and assembly.

美国社会中的另一个发挥稳定作用的力量是言论自由。我们视言论自由为一种普世权利，已被纳入我国宪法。实际上中国宪法也规定了言论自由。言论自由是美国宪法第一修正案不可分割的一部分，规定我们享有言论自由、宗教信仰自由和集会自由等基本权利。

The protection of free speech offered by the First Amendment is not just for speech that reflects majority opinion or the government position. More importantly, it protects the expression of ideas that do not represent the mainstream, and that are often unpopular. Yet society benefits greatly from the airing of those views. They can provoke much-needed discussion of important topics. They can inform and influence the opinions of the majority, and in doing so they can bring about policy changes that improves society.

第一修正案中对言论自由的保护不仅适用于反映多数意见或政府立场的言论，更重要的是保护不代表主流而且经常是不受欢迎的思想的表达。然而，社会极大地受益于这些观点的公开发表。这些言论可引发就重要话题开展亟需的讨论。这些讨论可以促进和影响多数人的意见，同时在这个过程中实现改善社会的政策变革。

This has happened time and again in American history. Let me give you two recent examples.

这在美国历史上一再发生。请让我给大家举两个近期的例子。

First, the Civil Rights Movement. Although President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation to free slaves was issued in 1863, much of the country remained segregated over the next 100 years. Many southern states had passed laws limiting the rights of African-Americans in direct defiance of our Constitution and Lincoln’s Proclamation. These states used legal provisions to impose racial segregation and restrict the civil rights of African-Americans.

第一个是民权运动。尽管林肯总统在1863年发布了给予奴隶自由的《解放奴隶宣言》，但在其后的100年里美国大部分地区仍处于隔离状态。很多南方州直接违抗我国宪法和林肯发布的宣言，批准了限制美国非洲裔权利的法律。这些州利用法律条文实行种族隔离，并限制美国非洲裔的公民权利。

Using our constitutionally guaranteed right to free expression, civil rights leaders in the 1950s and 1960s eloquently argued that segregation had no place in a modern, democratic society. Most influential of all was the Reverend Martin Luther King Junior, who in his famous “I Have a Dream Speech” spoke of a time when, in his words, “my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

民权领袖们运用宪法所保障的表达自由权在20世纪50年代和60年代雄辩有力地阐明，一个现代的、民主的社会绝不容许隔离。其中影响力最大的是马丁·路德·金牧师，他在著名的题为《我有一个梦想》的演讲中描述了这样一个时代，用他的原话就是，“有一天，我的四个年幼的孩子将生活在一个不是以他们的肤色，而是以他们的品格作为评判标准的国家里。”

The moral force of that speech moved a nation and helped force politicians to act. Within two years, historic civil rights and voting rights laws were enacted by Congress, outlawing major forms of discrimination.

这篇演讲的道德力量感召了整个国家，并力促政治人士采取行动。在此后的两年之内，国会通过了历史性的公民权和投票权立法，并宣告主要的歧视形式为非法。

A second example of the critical role of free speech in modern American history is the protests against the Vietnam War. Americans used their freedom of expression to question the wisdom of sending young men into the jungles of Vietnam to fight a war they thought unnecessary.

言论自由在现代美国历史上发挥关键作用的第二个实例是反对越南战争的抗议活动。美国人民运用他们的表达自由质疑把年轻人送到越南丛林，去打一场他们认为不必要的战争是否明智。

Among those who spoke most eloquently against the war was Secretary of State John Kerry. In 1971, as a representative of the group Vietnam Veterans Against the War, he spoke at a congressional hearing. His testimony included the now famous quote: “How do you ask a man to be the last man to die in Vietnam? How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?”

国务卿约翰·克里是最雄辩有力地反对这场战争的人士之一。1971年，他代表“越战退伍军人反战组织”在国会听证会上发言。他的证词中有一句话如今已成为名言：“你们怎能要求一个人最后在越南丧失生命？你们怎能要求一个人最后为一个错误丧失生命？”

I can assure you, those were not words that President Nixon and our military leaders wanted to hear. Yet by exercising their freedom of expression, and by making a compelling case against the war, a young John Kerry and thousands of other protestors helped force the government to change course and end the fighting.

我可以向大家保证，这不是尼克松总统和我们的军队领袖想听的话。但是年轻的约翰·克里及成千上万的抗议人士通过运用自己的表达自由并有力地说明反对越战的理由，帮助促使政府改变了路线，结束了这场战争。

Speaking truth to those in power, as John Kerry did, is not an exclusively American trait. China itself has a saying that dates back more than 2,000 years that “honest advice, though unpleasant to the ear, benefits conduct.” This saying refers to Zhang Liang’s counsel to Liu Bang after he had conquered the capital of the state of Qin in 207 BC. Liu desperately wanted to stay in the newly captured palace with its valuable treasures and beautiful women, but Zhang told him that in doing so he risked being perceived as a vulgar person. Liu reluctantly listened to Zhang and won the support of the people.

像约翰·克里那样对当权者说出真相并不是美国独有的品格。中国自己有句古语可以追溯到2000多年前，那就是“忠言逆耳利于行”。这句话说的是在刘邦于公元前207年攻克秦国都城后，张良向他进言一事。刘邦一心想住进刚刚夺取的宫殿，享用其中的财宝和美女，但是张良告诉他，如果这么做，他就有可能被视为一个助桀为虐的人。刘邦只得听取了张良的劝告，从而赢得了百姓的支持。

Of course, freedom of expression is not just about making memorable speeches. It also includes the free flow of information. This unfettered unrestricted access to information is essential for societies to modernize and advance. Here in China we have seen in recent years the important and positive role that the free flow of information can have on modernizing society.

当然，表达自由不仅仅是发表令人难忘的演讲。它还包括信息的自由流通。不受约束、不受限制地获取信息对社会的现代化和发展进步至关重要。在中国这里，我们在过去几年已看到信息的自由流通对社会的现代化发展所能起到的重要和积极的作用。

Let’s first look at the environment. In Beijing, everyone knew the air quality was bad, but they did not know just how bad it was. Americans living here were concerned, and wanted information about the quality of the air they breathed. In response, the U.S. Embassy began to offer hourly PM 2.5 readings for the use of Americans living in Beijing. This information ultimately reached a wider audience, and helped inform a public discussion amongst Chinese -- online and elsewhere -- about what their country should do to improve its air.

让我们首先看看环境问题。在北京，大家都知道空气质量很差，但不知道到底有多差。住在这里的美国人对此感到关切，并想要了解有关他们所呼吸的空气质量的信息。为此，美国大使馆开始提供PM 2.5小时读数，供居住在北京的美国人使用。这一信息最终达及更广泛的受众，并帮助中国民众在网上及通过其他渠道就他们的国家应该做些什么来改善空气质量展开公开讨论时做到知情。

Before long, Beijing and other major Chinese cities began monitoring and publishing their own PM2.5 data. In recent months, the central and Beijing governments have further responded with comprehensive plans to improve air quality.

不久后，北京和中国其他主要城市相继开始监测并公布自己的PM2.5数据。在最近几个月，中央政府和北京政府还为此进一步制定了改善空气质量的综合性计划。

The free flow of information also is critical to improving governance, particularly to fighting the scourge of corruption. I have been especially impressed by how ordinary Chinese citizens in recent years have taken to the Internet to report suspected corruption. In the U.S., we also fight graft by requiring government officials to publicly report their assets every year. Requiring the release of this information makes bribery and other corrupt behaviors far more difficult to conceal.

信息的自由流通还对改善治理，特别是打击腐败祸患至关重要。我对普通中国公民在过去几年中利用因特网举报涉嫌的腐败事件印象特别深刻。在美国，我们也通过要求政府官员每年公开申报其资产来打击贪污行为。要求必须提供这一信息使收贿受贿和其他腐败行为更难以藏匿。

Here in China there have been calls for similar requirements for Chinese officials. The U.S. government is especially concerned that some of the people calling for change are now facing prosecution, in retaliation for their public campaigns to expose corruption and because they peacefully expressed their views.

在中国这里，一直有人呼吁对中国官员提出类似的要求。美国政府尤其关注呼吁变革的人中有些人现在正受到起诉，他们遭到打击报复是因为他们公开努力揭露腐败，而且因为他们以和平方式表达自己的观点。

We also know that diversity of opinion and the free flow of ideas have never been more crucial to a country’s success than today – the age of the Internet – a time particularly suited for creativity and innovation. Vice President Biden said in Beijing last month that innovation thrives where people breathe freely, speak freely and are able to challenge orthodoxy. It thrives where newspapers can report the truth without fear of consequences. We have many disagreements on some of those issues right now, including the treatment of U.S. journalists. But I and many around the world believe that China will be stronger, more stable and more innovative if it respects universal human rights.

我们还知道，观点的多样性和思想的自由流通对一个国家的成功从未像在今天这个因特网时代这般重要，这个时代尤其适于创造和创新。副总统拜登上个月在北京说过，创新在人民能够自由呼吸、自由讲话并能挑战正统的地方会生机勃勃。它在报纸能够无后顾之忧地报道真相的地方会生机勃勃。我们现在在上述一些问题上存在很多分歧，其中包括对待美国新闻记者的方式。但是，我和世界各地的很多人都相信，如果中国尊重普世人权，它将会更加强大、更加稳定、更具创新力。

As more people go on line, freely contributing their ideas, the more valuable the network becomes to everyone, both to the users and to society. But if people aren’t free to fully express their thoughts or participate in online discussions, then the full potential of the Internet will never be realized. So it is important that everyone should be able to express their ideas on the Internet, and to use the Internet to debate and discuss topics, even if what they say might be unpopular, even if what they say might be viewed as sensitive by some groups or individuals.

随着越来越多的人上网，自由发表他们的想法，网络对所有人，对使用者和社会都更具价值。但如果人们不能自由地充分表达自己的想法或参加网上讨论，那么因特网的潜能将永远不会全部得到发挥。因此，重要的是，每个人都应当能够在因特网上表达他们的想法，并利用因特网进行辩论及讨论话题，即使他们所说的话可能不受欢迎，即使他们所说的话可能被一些团体或个人视为敏感言论。

This free flow of information online has become increasingly important in a globalized world where the most pressing problems know no national boundaries, where all nations suffer when any country puts up barriers. This is particularly true when it comes to dealing with international problems such as communicable diseases, which can quickly spread from one country to another, or with food safety issues in an era of global trade.

网上信息的自由流通在一个全球化的世界里已变得日益重要。在这样的世界里，最紧迫的问题不受国界限制；当任何一个国家设置壁垒时，所有国家都会受到损害。在处理国际问题时尤其是这样，例如可能快速地从一个国家传播到另一个国家的传染性疾病，以及在这个全球贸易时代的食品安全问题。

In summary, the rule of law and free speech are essential for countries to move forward and make progress. One of the many things that makes me proud to be an American is how, through the generations of our history, Americans have continually worked to bring the United States closer to the ideal of forming “a more perfect union,” as the preamble to our Constitution says.

总而言之，法治和言论自由对各国向前推进及取得进步至关重要。身为一个美国人令我感到自豪的诸多因素之一是，美国人民通过我国世代人民的努力，不断地争取使美国更接近达到我国宪法序言中所阐明的缔造“一个更完美的联邦”的理念。

Free speech and the rule of law are the main pillars of this ideal. They help build a people who are united, patriotic, confident in their rights, and invested in their own country’s future.

言论自由和法治是这一理念的主要支柱。它们有助于造就团结、爱国、坚信自己的权利而且投入于自己国家的未来的一国人民。

China has a great future ahead of it, but reaching its full potential will depend on a neutral and respected judiciary, active and dedicated lawyers, wise leadership, and reverence to the rule of law. It also will depend on respect for the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech for all, an open Internet, and a well-informed citizenry willing to engage in an unrestricted dialogue on how best to build a stable and progressive future for China. A vibrant marketplace of ideas is essential to the health and progress of any country.

中国前程似锦，但要发挥其全部潜能将取决于保持中立并受到尊重的司法体制、活跃且克尽职守的律师、明智的领导层，以及对法治的尊重。这还将取决于对宪法所保障的所有人的言论自由的尊重、开放的因特网，以及广泛知情并愿意就如何最好地为中国建设一个稳定且不断进步的未来而展开不受限制的对话的公民。一个充满活力的思想市场对于任何一个国家的健康和进步都至关重要。

Let me wish you all good luck and a happy year in this year of the horse.

请让我祝愿大家马年好运、快乐。

Thank you very much.

非常感谢大家。