Witty politician

As China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, 47, has impressed people around the world with his sharp and witty remarks on domestic and international affairs.
作为中国外交部发言人，现年47岁的耿爽对于国内和国际事务犀利却又不失风趣的表态，给全世界留下了深刻印象。

Video clips of Geng satirizing Western politicians, laughing at ridiculous accusations and offering humorous and witty responses at press conferences have been widely circulated online and even edited with heart emojis and music.
关于耿爽在新闻发布会上讽刺西方政客、嘲笑无稽指责以及妙语金句频出的视频在网上广为流传，甚至还有人在视频中加上了爱心表情和音乐。

Yet on June 5, Geng announced at a routine press conference that he will no longer hold the position of spokesman and will move to a new post.
然而，6月5日，耿爽在一场例行新闻发布会上表示，自己将不再担任发言人一职，奔赴新的岗位。

“I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to the care, help, support and encouragement all of you have offered to me in the past nearly four years,” Geng said at the conference.
“我也对大家在过去近四年时间里给予我的关心、帮助、支持、鼓励表示衷心的感谢，”耿爽在发布会上说道。

As a Chinese diplomat, wherever he is, he will continue to tell the stories of – and voices from – China, he said with tears.
耿爽哽咽道，作为一名中国外交官，无论走到哪里，都会继续讲好中国故事，传递中国声音。

Since Geng became the ministry’s 30th spokesman in September 2016, Geng has hosted about 400 news conferences and is known for his frequent use of Chinese idioms and famous sayings.
耿爽自2016年9月成为外交部第30位发言人以来，共主持了约400场记者会，并以多次引用中国古语名言著称。

One example is his response to the comment made by Robert O’Brien, the US national security adviser, who claimed, “China covered up the virus outbreak in Wuhan”.
其中一个例子便是他对于美国国家安全顾问罗伯特·奥布莱恩称“中方掩盖了武汉疫情”这一言论的回应。

“Turn inward and examine yourself when you encounter difficulties in life,” Geng quoted an ancient Chinese saying and continued, “We urge the US official to respect facts and the common understanding of the international community.”
“行有不得，反求诸己，”耿爽引用了一句中国古语后说道，“我们敦促美方个别官员尊重客观事实，尊重国际公论。”

This remark won widespread praise from journalists and the public.
这一回应获得了记者与公众的广泛赞扬。

Another example is Geng’s response last July to Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen who commented on the “one country, two systems” policy. “There is no dignity at all when you are slavishly dependent on others ... It won’t bring you anything more than a doomed fate,” he said.
另一个例子是耿爽去年7月对于台湾地区领导人蔡英文关于“一国两制”言论的回应。“挟洋自重、仰人鼻息……也注定是死路一条，”他说道。

Unsurprisingly, Geng showed his professional performance and personal charisma.
毋庸置疑的是，耿爽展现了他的专业素养和个人魅力。

While he has not announced what his new post will be, people expect to hear from him sooner rather than later, just as he said at the end of his last press conference, “Someday we will meet again.”
尽管耿爽并未宣布他新任职的具体岗位，但大家都期待着能尽快再次见到他，就像他在最后一场发布会结束时所说的那样：“我们后会有期。”

以上文章内容选自《21世纪学生英文报高中版》，详情请见《21世纪学生英文报高中版》高二797期