Remarks by Ambassador Cui Tiankai at the China-US Dialogue and Screening of "Better Angels"

女士們，先生們，

朋友們，

　　大家晚上好！很高興參加中美對(duì)話(huà)暨《善良的天使》觀影活動(dòng)，并在這里見(jiàn)到這么多新老朋友。感謝美國(guó)中國(guó)總商會(huì)組織本次活動(dòng)，我也向所有為制作這部紀(jì)錄片付出心血的人士表示敬意，你們的努力將為今天活動(dòng)的主題——中美關(guān)系未來(lái)之路提供新的思路。

　　許多人對(duì)近期中美關(guān)系形勢(shì)深感憂(yōu)慮。在這充滿(mǎn)挑戰(zhàn)的時(shí)刻，中美關(guān)系的發(fā)展也許更需要亞伯拉罕?林肯所說(shuō)的“我們本性中善良的天使”。

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Dear Friends,

Good evening! It is a very great pleasure for me to be here with all of you, old and new friends, for the screening of "Better Angels". Let me thank the China General Chamber of Commerce-USA for organizing this event. And I want to pay tribute to all the people who have helped to produce this documentary. Your work will shed new light on the theme of today's dialogue: the path forward for China-US relations.

Many of us are now deeply concerned over some of the recent developments in China-US relations. Under such challenging circumstances, this relationship needs what Abraham Lincoln referred to as the touch "by the better angels of our nature".

　　但這些天使何處可尋？他們一直與我們同在。你們會(huì)看到，這部紀(jì)錄片不僅采訪(fǎng)了那些備受矚目的政治領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人，穿梭于世界各地的外交家，也把鏡頭更多對(duì)準(zhǔn)了我們身邊的普通人：

　　一位在中國(guó)學(xué)校教英語(yǔ)和橄欖球的美國(guó)退役海軍陸戰(zhàn)隊(duì)士兵;

　　一位遠(yuǎn)赴美國(guó)幫助美國(guó)學(xué)生學(xué)習(xí)算術(shù)的中國(guó)珠算老師;

　　一位自掏腰包在艾奧瓦州馬斯卡廷建立“中美友誼屋”的中國(guó)企業(yè)家。

But where can we find the better angels? They are right here with us. As you will see, featured in this documentary are not only world leaders who always hold political spotlight, or diplomats who fly across the world. Also highlighted in this documentary, or even more highlighted, are ordinary men and women:

A former US Marine soldier who teaches English and coaches American football in a Chinese school;

A Chinese abacus teacher working in the United States, helping American students with arithmetic;

And a Chinese entrepreneur who funded the Sino-US Friendship House in Muscatine, Iowa.