凯蒂·扎卡里亚可能只担任了五天的白宫新闻秘书，但仍然成功地引发了一起与中国的外交事件。
Katie Zacharia may have lasted just five days as the White House press secretary but still managed to set off a diplomatic incident with China.
周四，她在接受一位保守派评论员的采访时称中国是一个“甚至没有正常厕所”的地方。
In an interview with a conservative commentator on Thursday, Zacharia referred to China as a place that “doesn’t even have proper toilets”.
一天后，中国外交部发言人毛宁以微笑的方式作出了简短而有针对性的回应。“我们欢迎她在有机会时多来中国访问，”资深外交官毛宁说道。
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning responded a day later with a smile and a brief, pointed invitation. “We welcome her to visit China more often when she has the opportunity,” said Mao, a veteran diplomat.
就像毛宁一样，扎卡里亚——尽管仅仅不到一周——也曾是她政府高度可见的公众形象，就可能影响其国家形象的议题发表讲话。
Like Mao, Zacharia was – if only for less than a week – the highly visible public face of her government, speaking on issues that could shape how her country was perceived.
但毛宁和扎卡里亚来自截然不同的体制，走向讲台的道路截然不同，她们使用截然不同的方式讲述两个截然不同的故事。
But Mao and Zacharia are the products of vastly different systems and took contrasting paths to the podium, using very different ways to tell two very different stories.
扎卡里亚的首次——也是最后一次——正式白宫新闻发布会于周二举行，时长不足15分钟，她的大部分内容都是从准备好的稿子上念出的。
Zacharia’s debut – and final – official White House briefing lasted fewer than 15 minutes on Tuesday, with much of her presentation delivered from a prepared script.
到那时，关于她法律资质的质疑已经浮出水面，因为她在媒体亮相时曾自称是律师。
By then, questions had surfaced about her legal credentials after she had presented herself as a lawyer in media appearances.
根据她的领英个人资料，扎卡里亚在2011年至2013年期间曾在中国北京的中伦律师事务所——中国最大的律师事务所之一——担任律师助理。
According to her LinkedIn profile, Zacharia worked as an associate at Zhong Lun Law Firm, one of China’s biggest, in Beijing from 2011 to 2013.
在加入白宫之前，她曾是福克斯新闻和新闻麦克斯等保守派媒体网络的常客，在这些平台上她为美国总统唐纳德·特朗普及其议程辩护。她还曾短暂担任过国土安全部的传播职务。
Before joining the White House, she was a frequent commentator on conservative networks Fox News and Newsmax, where she defended US President Donald Trump and his agenda. She had also briefly held a communications role at the Department of Homeland Security.
当她走上美国政府最显眼的传播职位之一时，扎卡里亚发现自己成为了新闻的焦点。
As she stepped into one of the most visible communications positions in the US government, Zacharia found herself becoming the story.
当被问及她的法律资质时，她说她是在“搬到中国时”获得的，后来又说她可能听错了问题。到周末时，她已不再担任白宫新闻秘书的职务。
Asked about her legal credentials, she said she had received them “when I moved to China”, before later saying she had misheard the question. By the weekend, she was no longer in the White House job.
在中国的外交部发言人制度中，官员通常具有丰富的外交经验，并在担任该职务前进行大量准备。另一个区别在于他们职责的范围。
In China’s foreign ministry spokesperson system, officials generally have extensive diplomatic experience and undergo substantial preparation before taking on the position. Another difference is in the scope of their roles.
外交部发言人是中国政府最突出、最常见的公开代表之一，负责传达北京在外交和国际事务上的立场。相比之下，白宫新闻秘书的职责不仅限于解释国内和外交政策。
A foreign ministry spokesperson is among the Chinese government’s most prominent and regular public-facing representatives, communicating Beijing’s positions on diplomacy and international affairs. By contrast, the White House press secretary’s responsibilities extend beyond explaining domestic and foreign policy.
作为总统任命的官员，发言人还被期望捍卫总统的议程，并代表总统回应政治批评。
As a presidential appointee, the spokesperson is also expected to defend the president’s agenda and respond to political criticism on their behalf.
扎卡里亚在中期选举前仅三周被任命为该职务，此时正值特朗普的支持率接近历史低点的政治敏感时期。她于10月13日的首次简报中称赞了特朗普及其“美国优先”议程，仅回答了三位记者的提问后便结束。
Zacharia was appointed to the role just three weeks before the midterm elections, at a politically sensitive time with Trump’s approval ratings at near-record lows. Her debut briefing on October 13 combined praise for Trump and his “America first” agenda, taking questions from just three reporters before wrapping up.
她对关于乌克兰的问题未作回答，称需要以后再回应，这进一步引发了人们对她是否胜任该职务的质疑。
She left a question about Ukraine unanswered, saying she would have to return to it, prompting further doubts about her readiness for the position.
她的前任卡罗琳·利维特也曾在首次简报中通过美国国内政治的视角来框架涉及中国的重大发展。
Her predecessor, Karoline Leavitt, had also used her first briefing to frame a major development involving China through the lens of US domestic politics.
她将中国人工智能公司DeepSeek的崛起描述为对美国人工智能产业的“警钟”，并指责前乔·拜登政府允许中国如此快速地发展该技术。
Describing the emergence of Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company DeepSeek as a “wake-up call” for the US AI industry, she blamed the previous Joe Biden administration for allowing China to develop the technology so rapidly.
中国外交部于1983年3月，在国家改革开放推进期间正式建立了发言人制度。
China’s foreign ministry formally established its spokesperson system in March 1983, during the country’s reform and opening-up drive.
一年前，钱其琛曾举行被视为外交部首次新闻发布会。此后，他逐步晋升，最终成为外交部长和副总理。
A year earlier, Qian Qichen had held what is regarded as the ministry’s first press conference. He later rose through the diplomatic ranks to become foreign minister and vice-premier.
外交部发言人通常是职业外交官，在担任这一高知名度职务之前，往往在外交事务领域积累多年经验。
The ministry’s spokespersons are career diplomats who typically gather years of experience in foreign affairs before taking on the high-profile role.
毛宁于2022年9月成为外交部第33任发言人，并于2025年1月被任命为信息司司长。
Mao became the ministry’s 33rd spokesperson in September 2022 and was appointed director general of its information department in January 2025.
在担任首席发言人之前，毛宁在外交系统工作超过27年，主要专注于亚洲事务。她还曾在2020年短暂担任地方政府职务，任副市长。
Before taking on the chief spokesperson role, Mao had spent more than 27 years in diplomatic service, focusing mainly on Asian affairs. She had also briefly served in a local government position as deputy mayor in 2020.
后来被免职的秦刚也曾两次担任外交部发言人，之后在2022年升任外交部长。
Qin Gang, who was later removed from office, also served two stints as a ministry spokesman before rising to become foreign minister in 2022.
相比之下，白宫新闻秘书通常来自政治传播、竞选工作或媒体背景。
By contrast, White House press secretaries often come from political communications, campaign work or media backgrounds.
例如，莉娅维特曾在特朗普第一届政府工作，担任共和党众议员伊莉斯·斯特凡尼克的传播总监，并在特朗普2024年总统竞选期间担任全国新闻秘书，之后于2025年1月进入白宫任职。这种对比反映了两个职位的不同制度功能。
Leavitt, for example, worked in Trump’s first administration, served as communications director for Republican congresswoman Elise Stefanik and was national press secretary for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign before taking the White House job in January 2025. The contrast reflects the different institutional functions of the two positions.
白宫新闻秘书主要代表总统及其政府发声，在回应国内政治审查的同时捍卫其政策。
The White House press secretary speaks mainly for the president and his administration, defending its policies while responding to domestic political scrutiny.
相比之下，中国外交部发言人通过定期举行的新闻发布会传达政府在国际事务中的立场，自2011年以来，这些新闻发布会每个工作日都会举行。
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, by comparison, communicates the government’s positions on international affairs through regular briefings, which have been held each weekday since 2011.
对北京而言，公开传播是塑造中国在国际上形象更广泛努力的一部分，外交部被要求“讲好中国故事”。
For Beijing, public communication is part of a broader effort to shape how China is understood abroad, with the foreign ministry enlisted to “tell China’s story well”.
为此，中国发言人的表态通常较为审慎且经过精心设计，有时会使用含蓄和间接的表达方式。
To this end, Chinese spokespersons’ comments are measured and carefully scripted, sometimes using subtle and indirect language.
2022年，上海新闻媒体《澎湃新闻》的一篇评论曾为这种沟通方式辩护，称其是一种战略缓冲，避免明确表态能为官员留下机动空间，而不会把他们置于难以捍卫的境地。
A 2022 commentary in Shanghai news outlet The Paper defended this style of communication as a strategic buffer, saying that avoiding definitive statements left room for manoeuvre without boxing officials into a position that could prove difficult to defend.
这种做法与一些美国白宫新闻秘书所关联的更具对抗性的风格截然不同。例如，莱维特因其犀利的反驳和快速反应而闻名，这也赢得了一些中国社交媒体用户的赞赏，他们对她的口头敏捷印象深刻。她的语言直白且具对抗性，这与她在特朗普竞选团队工作时所体现的政治信息一致。但中国的新闻发言人通常更为克制——这一点毛宁尤为众所周知。
That is poles apart from the more combative style associated with some US White House press secretaries. Leavitt, for instance, became known for her sharp retorts and rapid-fire responses, which also won praise from some Chinese social media users impressed by her verbal agility. Her language was direct and combative, consistent with the political messaging that had defined her work on Trump’s campaign. But the Chinese spokesperson is usually more measured – something Mao in particular is known for.
然而，中国的发言人阵容也曾包括更具争议性的人物，最典型的是赵立坚，他成为“战狼”外交风格的代表人物之一。
Nevertheless, China’s roster of spokespeople has also included more controversial figures, most notably Zhao Lijian, who became a prominent face of the Wolf Warrior style of diplomacy.
这种风格得名于中国民族主义题材的动作电影系列，常被用来形容一种在捍卫中国利益和应对外国批评时表现出的坚定且对抗性的做法。
The style, named after a Chinese nationalist action-film franchise, is commonly used to describe an assertive and confrontational approach to defending China’s interests and responding to foreign criticism.
批评者认为，这种对抗性表达可能损害中国的外交关系；而支持者则认为，这是对西方批评的有力回应。
Critics argue that such confrontational messaging risks damaging China’s diplomatic relationships, while supporters see it as a forceful response to Western criticism.