悦辩悦明｜美国，你为何容不下领跑者

In a Marathon, there is someone who leads and others that follow. It is the same for economy and technology, there are front runners and those that follow behind.

马拉松中有领跑者和跟跑者。经济和科技领域也是一样，有人领先，有人追赶。

Huawei is a leader in 5G technology.  Among the total 1,970 patented items for 5G, Huawei has 17 percent of the claims. In 2018 alone, it ran 5G tests in 180 countries and already signed 91 contracts around the world. But the Chinese company is now paying the price for Americans' refusal to follow. America has weaponized everything at its disposal to stall the leader, but is it really that bad to follow?

华为是5G技术的领跑者。在与5G技术相关的1970项专利中，华为拥有17%。仅在2018年，华为就在180个国家进行了5G测试，并在全球范围内签署了91份5G商用合同。但这家中国公司现在却因为美国拒绝做跟跑者而付出代价。美国将一切武器化，只为拖住领跑者，但在后面追赶真有那么糟糕吗？

America is a leader in many things. Data from the World Intellectual Property Organization or WIPO shows America is a leading player in computer technology, digital communication and medical technology. But America is a follower in 5G and it does not want to follow. Nobody does. But even when you are left behind, there is a bad way to follow and there is a good way.

美国在许多方面都是领跑者。来自世界知识产权组织的数据显示，美国在计算机技术、数字通信和医疗技术方面都处于领先地位，但在5G领域则是追赶者，而且很不情愿。没人情愿如此。但哪怕是想赶超领跑者，方式也有好坏之分。

To slow down the leader by dragging its feet？Yeah, that might hurt the leader, but it also upsets the whole pack. By delaying the rollout of Huawei technologies, considered to be the best and most inexpensive, the whole world will suffer paying a higher bill and taking up more time. In the end, we all pay a price. But actually the race is not about others, it is about ourselves. How to perform, how to run faster and how to become better. America will not lead in everything and will not lead forever, but to follow is an art.

抓住领跑者的腿让他的速度慢下来？是啊，这可能会伤害领先者，但同时也会影响所有人。众所周知，华为的技术最强，价格最实惠，因此延缓华为新技术的推出就意味着世界各国要负担更高的价格，花费更多的时间。最终，我们都要付出代价。但实际上，这场竞赛无关他人，而在于我们自己。如何表现，如何加速，如何变得更好。美国不可能事事领先，也不会永远第一，所以如何追赶是一门艺术。

There was a time that China followed in almost everything, from satellite navigation to electronics, from computer operating systems to automobile making.  Did China use the convenient excuse of national security to shut its doors, and did China dither because they were created offshore or belonged to a different culture? That is too narrow-minded and short-sighted even for a proud nation. The Chinese knew they need to become better, but they did not upset the leader, in this case the Americans. They followed, they learned, and they improved. 

曾几何时，中国处处落后，从卫星导航到电子产品，从计算机操作系统到汽车制造。但中国利用国家安全这种方便的借口关上大门了吗？中国因为某些东西是外国制造或是来自不同文化而紧张焦虑了吗？一个国家哪怕自豪感再强烈，这些做法也未免太过狭隘和短视了。中国人明白自己需要进步，但他们并没有去为难领先者，也就是美国。他们跟随、学习、自我完善。

Huawei is a good example. It considers itself more American than Chinese. Not only because it borrowed the idea of protestant work ethics, but also because it embraced the idea of welcoming new stuff and excluding nothing. Since 1990's Huawei acquired integrated product design from IBM and settled on a road of integrating all technologies from the world, even from its competitors, Nokia and Ericson. As a matter of fact, 44 percent of 5G contracts in China went to these two Nordic companies.

华为就是一个很好的例子。它更多地视自己为美国公司，而非中国公司。不仅是因为它借鉴了新教徒的工作伦理，也因为它具有接纳一切新鲜事物的情怀。自20世纪90年代以来，华为从IBM公司获得了集成产品设计，并走上了整合全球技术的道路，其中甚至还包括其竞争对手诺基亚和埃里克森的技术。事实上，中国5G合同中有44%都是与这两家北欧公司签订的。

If China can, so can America. China has a different system of politics, but Chinese companies are providing value and services like any other and they should be treated as such. By cheating yourself into believing otherwise, you are not only a sore loser, you are totally a loser.

既然中国可以做到，那美国也能做到。中国的政治体制与美国不同，但中国公司在创造价值和提供服务方面与其他所有公司无异，因此应该被平等对待。自欺欺人地反对这种观点的人不仅是输不起，更是彻头彻尾的失败者。

In a marathon, sometimes you lead and sometimes you follow, but in the end both the leader and the followers win.

在马拉松里，领先和落后都时有发生。但只要跑到终点，所有人都是胜利者。

推荐阅读：