今天，中国共产党的主要宣传报纸《人民日报》拒绝刊登我们在北京的泰里·布兰斯塔德大使所撰写的署名文章，并列举了一连串的不满。具有讽刺意味的是，这篇署名文章呼吁在我们两国间建立更积极的关系，并要求“通过不受限制的交往和不受审查的讨论来建立关系”。《人民日报》的回应再次暴露了中国共产党对自由言论和认真严肃的思想辩论的恐惧，以及北京方面在抱怨其他国家缺乏公平对等待遇时的虚伪。
相反，在我们有活力而自信的民主政体中，中国政府官员享有与美国人民直接对话的能力，并通过我们的自由媒体呈现了其政府的观点。光是中国驻美国大使崔天凯今年就在《华盛顿邮报》和Politico这类知名美国新闻机构发表过五篇署名文章，还接受过诸如美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）、美国哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS）等媒体的专访。中国外交部以及像《环球时报》、《中国日报》这样的国有宣传机构经常畅通无阻地利用推特（Twitter）和脸书（Facebook）这类美国社交媒体平台来攻击我们的政策、我们的生活方式，以及恰恰保护着他们自由言论能力的系统。他们在其他民主国家也这样做。
如果共产主义中国真心实意地想成为一个成熟的大国并加强与自由世界的关系，那么习近平总书记的政府就会尊重西方外交官直接与中国人民对话的权利，允许外国记者回到中国，并停止恐吓和骚扰调查记者——无论是外国人还是中国人。这些记者努力坚持新兴自由媒体的诚信以服务公众利益。他们拒绝这样做，表明中国未经选举的政党精英多么害怕他们自己的人民有自由思想，害怕自由世界对中国内部治理做法的评判。
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附一：布兰斯塔德大使：根据对等原则重建两国关系
我们长期以来一直表示，我们想要有建设性的、重视结果的对华关系，这个观点没有改变。有建设性的关系意味着我们不仅要对我们共同的利益诚实坦率，也要对让我们产生分歧的问题开诚布公。我们需要的不仅是不停地重申我们各自的利益，还有真正让我们的人民受益的切实成果。
从美国的角度来看，我们取得的进展少之又少。多年以来，中国领导层呼吁我们专注于合作的领域，同时搁置我们的分歧。而这些年来，美国同意了这种处理方式，期望随着时间的推移，我们也会着手解决我们的关切。但是中国领导层利用了这种处理方式。中国领导层常常坚持要求我们对分歧避而不谈，以此作为接触的前提。有时，中国领导层做出了承诺要着手解决我们的关切，但却未能跟进行动。结果就是我们的关系为美国人民带来的重要结果越来越少。
同时，这段关系变得越来越不平衡。一个例子是对于美国公司、新闻工作者、外交官乃至公民社会来说不平等的准入机会。作为一个开放的社会，美国欢迎了中国公司进入我们的市场，向美国消费者售卖产品，进行投资和参与项目竞标，还有募集资金。我们欢迎了中国学生和研究人员来我们的大学和实验室，他们在这里获取了知识用来实现中国经济的现代化和发展。当美国新闻工作者在报道、甚至进入中国都面临限制时，中国的国家媒体工作人员却可以长久以来在美国不受限地进行报道。中华人民共和国的外交官可以不受限地进入美国社会，而我们在中国的外交官需要应对一套国家批准系统，哪怕是和中国人民进行最基本的互动。
中国政府在从我们的开放获益的同时利用了我们的开放——以一种与国际准则越来越不一致的方式。有些中国实体收购了美国公司不是为了创造工作机会，而是为了获得技术，然后拿到中国，进行开发与我们竞争。有些中国公司在我们的股票交易市场募集了资金，但拒绝接受标准的审计规则，而所有其他上市公司都被要求遵从这些规则，无论是美国公司还是外国公司。一小部分中国学生和研究人员利用进入我们的大学、研究机构和公司的机会窃取美国的知识产权。这些行动不仅损害了我们的双边关系，还让非凡而合理的经济进步——中国人民正当地为之骄傲——蒙上污点。
特朗普总统上任，发誓要让整体关系更加平衡和对等。 第一阶段贸易协议和美国最近的政策行动是我们寻求为美国利益攸关方创造真正的公平竞争环境的重要一步。 许多人声称，这是为了阻挠中国合理的发展愿望，为了 "遏制
"中国的崛起或者为了与中国
"脱钩"。 这完全是错误的。 当前美中关系紧张的根本原因，是中国长期以来的策略只选择性地与美国
"挂钩"、系统性地控制美国人进入中国社会。在我们的大学中，我们继续欢迎绝大多数的中国学生，但我们已采取行动，对那些非法获取美国知识产权和研究成果的人，或那些获取知识以便在
21 世纪的前沿技术领域与我们进行不公平竞争的人拒发签证。我们还对中国公司采取了行动，其中包括像华为这样的知名公司， 这些公司窃取了美国的知识产权，规避了美国的出口管制，或对我们公民的私人数据和通讯网络安全构成了威胁。
我们是两个不同的国家，有着不同的历史。美国继续从自己的错误中吸取教训，为创造更好的未来继续前行。我们希望中国也能如此。在这一努力中， 我们需要建立相互理解和真正对等的基础。这必须从中国政府愿意解决我们对两国关系失衡的关切开始，并允许我们两国人民通过不受限制的交往和未经审查删除的讨论来建立关系。只有到那时，我才能享有与中国人民交往的自由，就像我们保证崔大使在美国所做的那样，也只有到那时，我们才能拥有真正对等和真正平衡的关系。
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附二：人民日报的回复
Spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in China: Your letter has been received. First, we appreciate that Ambassador Branstad values the People’s Daily. We have always taken a positive and open-minded attitude toward requests by Ambassador Branstad, among other friends from countries around the world who hold objective and fair views on China, to publish submitted articles on the People’s Daily.
As early as April 15th, 2013, Mr. Branstad, then governor of Iowa, published an op-ed titled The Unique Partnership with China on the third page of the People’s Daily, in which he expressed the hope to build a stronger economic partnership with China. With the proactive support of the People’s Daily Press, Ambassador Branstad published op-eds titled My First Year as U.S. Ambassador and Our Global Response to Fight COVID-19 on Global Times, a publication affiliated with the People’s Daily, this year and last year. Facts prove that we have always attached great importance to articles submitted by His Excellency Ambassador Branstad.
The People’s Daily is consistently committed to promoting better communication and understanding between the Chinese and American peoples. Recently, however, the United States keeps escalating political suppression and persecution against Chinese press institutions in the United States out of Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice: from registration as “foreign agents” to designation as “foreign missions”; from denying visa to Chinese journalists to de facto expelling Chinese press journalists in the United States; and recently the United States adopted discriminatory visa restriction measures that limit visa validity period to no more than 3 months for all journalists of Chinese media, including those permanently based at the United Nations Headquarters; up to now, it is still not clear whether all Chinese journalists’ visas, which was due on August 6, will be renewed. This leaves multiple journalists with the People’s Daily in the United States and their family members, including even young children, in huge uncertainties, severely impacts the work and life of Chinese journalists in the United States, and greatly restricts the freedom of media reporting. Relevant U.S. moves grossly interfere Chinese media’s normal reporting activities in the United States and obstruct normal people-to-people exchanges between the two nations. The United States should immediately correct its discriminatory practices and effectively ensure the safety and rights of journalists of Chinese media in the United States, including those working for the People’s Daily.
Regrettably, the U.S. side, on the one hand, claims that the People's Daily and other Chinese media are the CPC’s "propaganda machines", and on the other hand, demands that the "propaganda machines" do "propaganda" for the United States, which is illogical, overbearing and unreasonable. In our opinion, the op-ed in the name of Ambassador Branstad is full of loopholes and seriously inconsistent with facts. It does not meet the consistent standard of the People's Daily, a prestigious, serious and professional media, for selecting and publishing articles. If you do wish to publish this op-ed in the People's Daily, you should make substantive revisions based on facts in the principle of equality and mutual respect. On this basis, we are willing to maintain contact and communication with you.
Enjoy your stay in Beijing!
International Division, People's Daily September 9, 2020
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附二：人民日报的回复
Spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in China: Your letter has been received. First, we appreciate that Ambassador Branstad values the People’s Daily. We have always taken a positive and open-minded attitude toward requests by Ambassador Branstad, among other friends from countries around the world who hold objective and fair views on China, to publish submitted articles on the People’s Daily.
As early as April 15th, 2013, Mr. Branstad, then governor of Iowa, published an op-ed titled The Unique Partnership with China on the third page of the People’s Daily, in which he expressed the hope to build a stronger economic partnership with China. With the proactive support of the People’s Daily Press, Ambassador Branstad published op-eds titled My First Year as U.S. Ambassador and Our Global Response to Fight COVID-19 on Global Times, a publication affiliated with the People’s Daily, this year and last year. Facts prove that we have always attached great importance to articles submitted by His Excellency Ambassador Branstad.
The People’s Daily is consistently committed to promoting better communication and understanding between the Chinese and American peoples. Recently, however, the United States keeps escalating political suppression and persecution against Chinese press institutions in the United States out of Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice: from registration as “foreign agents” to designation as “foreign missions”; from denying visa to Chinese journalists to de facto expelling Chinese press journalists in the United States; and recently the United States adopted discriminatory visa restriction measures that limit visa validity period to no more than 3 months for all journalists of Chinese media, including those permanently based at the United Nations Headquarters; up to now, it is still not clear whether all Chinese journalists’ visas, which was due on August 6, will be renewed. This leaves multiple journalists with the People’s Daily in the United States and their family members, including even young children, in huge uncertainties, severely impacts the work and life of Chinese journalists in the United States, and greatly restricts the freedom of media reporting. Relevant U.S. moves grossly interfere Chinese media’s normal reporting activities in the United States and obstruct normal people-to-people exchanges between the two nations. The United States should immediately correct its discriminatory practices and effectively ensure the safety and rights of journalists of Chinese media in the United States, including those working for the People’s Daily.
Regrettably, the U.S. side, on the one hand, claims that the People's Daily and other Chinese media are the CPC’s "propaganda machines", and on the other hand, demands that the "propaganda machines" do "propaganda" for the United States, which is illogical, overbearing and unreasonable. In our opinion, the op-ed in the name of Ambassador Branstad is full of loopholes and seriously inconsistent with facts. It does not meet the consistent standard of the People's Daily, a prestigious, serious and professional media, for selecting and publishing articles. If you do wish to publish this op-ed in the People's Daily, you should make substantive revisions based on facts in the principle of equality and mutual respect. On this basis, we are willing to maintain contact and communication with you.
Enjoy your stay in Beijing!
International Division, People's Daily September 9, 2020
