尼克松外孫訪華:我們都是美國"大使"

Former first lady Pat Nixon donned a bright red knee-length coat when she accompanied husband Richard Nixon on his historic trip to China in 1972.

美國前第一夫人帕特·尼克松(Pat Nixon)1972年陪同丈夫理查德·尼克松(Richard Nixon)進行歷史性訪華時，她穿的是一件鮮豔的紅色及膝大衣。

More than 40 years later, Andrea Catsimatidis, the buxom wife of Nixon’s grandson Christopher Nixon Cox, also wore red─a racy crimson number on a Beijing walkabout Friday.

40多年過後，尼克松的外孫克里斯托弗·尼克松·考克斯(Christopher Nixon Cox)攜夫人卡齊馬蒂迪斯(Andrea Catsimatidis)訪問中國。上週五，身材姣好的卡齊馬蒂迪斯身着深紅色上衣在北京四處遊覽。

Photos of the striking 23 year-old who is visiting China with her husband to commemorate the elder Nixon’s 100th birthday ─ have appeared all over Chinese media, including on the front page of the state-owned China Daily, generating buzz among Chinese social media users and turning Ms. Catsimatidis into somewhat of an Internet sensation.

容貌出衆、年僅23歲的卡齊馬蒂迪斯的照片登上了中國各大媒體的版面，其中包括官方媒體《中國日報》(China Daily)的頭版。同時也引來中國社交媒體用戶的一片議論，卡齊馬蒂迪斯無意間在中國走紅網絡。卡齊馬蒂迪斯此次陪同丈夫來華是爲了紀念尼克松總統百歲誕辰。

Mr. Cox, 34, is bemused about the buzz, but hasn’t come to grips fully with it yet. “Maybe I should bone up on my Chinese to know what they are saying,” he said in a telephone interview from the eastern city of Hangzhou.

中國網民的議論令今年34歲的考克斯感到困惑，他尚未完全理解中國網民在說些什麼。在中國東部城市杭州接受記者電話採訪時他說，或許我應該抓緊學習中文，好搞清楚他們在說些什麼。

Perhaps not. While one user of the Twitter-like microblogging service Sina Weibo suggested the duo looked like the bride and groom at their own wedding, others were less restrained. “I admit my mind is in the gutter,” wrote one microblogger. “The first time I looked, all I saw was…”

或許不用。雖然一位新浪微博用戶表示兩人看上去就像婚禮上的新郎新娘，其它用戶就沒有這麼含蓄了。一位微博用戶寫道，我承認我的想法有點髒，可是第一次看到照片時，我心裏想的全是……

The couple have frequently come under public scrutiny in the U.S. Ms. Catsimatidis is the daughter of Gristedes supermarket chain owner John Catsimatidis. They met in 2008 and married in 2011.

這對夫妻在美國也經常受到公衆關注。卡齊馬蒂迪斯是連鎖超市Gristedes所有人約翰·卡齊馬蒂迪斯(John Catsimatidis)的女兒。兩人於2008年相識，2011年結婚。

Mr. Cox said the couple is not fazed by reactions in China, and says his wife is enjoying this, her second visit, to the country. “She loves Beijing. People have been very warm and hospitable to her,” he said. “We’re all ambassadors for the U.S.”

考克斯說，中國民衆的反應並沒有令他們難堪。他說他妻子對第二次中國之行非常滿意。他說，她喜歡北京，這裏的人熱情好客，我們都是美國的“大使”。

Mr. Cox also said the excitement around his wife hadn’t detracted from the key finding of his trip: that China increasingly wants to engage with the U.S.

考克斯也表示，外界因他妻子產生的興奮並沒有令他此行一項重要發現的價值降低：中國日益希望同美國接觸。

As evidence, he points to the welcome he has received from high-level officials, including a banquet for around 175 people at the Great Hall of the People, where he met with former foreign minister and State Councilor Yang Jiechi.

他說自己受到中國高級官員的歡迎就是一個證據，其中包括在人民大會堂舉行的約有175人蔘加的宴會。在宴會上他見到了前外交部長、國務委員楊潔篪。

Mr. Cox believes the new government led by Xi Jinping wants to take relations with Washington to new heights. “This is part of China’s natural progress to grow on the world stage as an ascending power,” he said. “It’s encouraging.”

考克斯相信習近平領導的新一屆政府希望將中美關係推向新的高度。他說這是中國作爲不斷崛起的大國在世界舞臺上自然成長的組成部分，這令人鼓舞。

Mr. Cox, who has attended many Chinese banquets in the past he’s visited Beijing around 15 times so far─was expecting copious toasts. But President Xi’s antigraft touch was evident in the banquet’s relative absence of alcohol, he noted.

考克斯迄今到過北京約15次，也參加過多次中式宴會。他原本以爲此次宴會上也會有很多人向他祝酒。但他說，習近平主席的反腐倡議顯然很有效果，此次宴會提供的酒水相對較少。

“In honor of my grandfather they brought out Moutai,” he said. “The toast was important but they did not emphasize drinking.”

他說，爲了紀念我的祖父，他們拿出了茅臺；敬酒是很重要，但他們並沒有強調飲酒。

Former President Nixon was fascinated by Moutai a throat-searing grain alcohol that bills itself as China’s national liquor ─ and reportedly went against aides’ advice by partaking in rounds of toasting, including with then Premier Zhou Enlai.

美國前總統尼克松非常喜歡茅臺。據報道他曾不顧助手阻攔執意多次向中方官員祝酒，其中包括時任中國總理的周恩來。茅臺是用糧食釀成的烈酒，被稱作中國的國酒。

Mr. and Mrs. Cox’s trip is organized by the Nixon Foundation and the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. After stops in Beijing and Hangzhou, they and an accompanying delegation of around 40 people will visit Shanghai.

考克斯夫婦此行由尼克松基金會(Nixon Foundation)和中國人民對外友好協會組織。在北京和杭州停留之後，他們和一個約40人的代表團還將訪問上海。

Mr. Cox, a partner at consultancy and investment advisory firm OC Global Partners, LLC, finished third in the 2010 Republican primary for the New York’s 1st congressional district.

考克斯是諮詢和投資顧問公司OC Global Partners, LLC的合夥人，曾在2010年參加紐約第一國會選區的共和黨初選，最終排在第三位。

On whether he will run for political office in the future, Mr. Cox said “there might be something down the road.”

在談到未來是否還會競選政界職位時，考克斯說，有這種可能。

International trips, such as this week’s visit to China, and another to Africa last summer with former President Bill Clinton, were helpful in that they offered into insights into foreign policy and governing, he said.

他說，國際旅行，比如這周訪問中國，以及去年夏天和美國前總統克林頓(Bill Clinton)訪問非洲對他很有幫助，因爲這能讓他更深刻地領悟外交政策和執政理念。

To that, we might add protocol, too.

除此之外，或許還可以加上外交辭令吧。