Reuters-Yellen Indo-Pacific allies should not have to choose between US China
November 2, 2023 3 min 614 words
财政部长珍妮特·耶伦在美国主办的亚太经济合作峰会前的讲话中表达了一种理智和务实的观点。她强调了美国与中国之间的经济脱钩在亚洲国家和全球经济中可能带来的灾难性后果。她认为，这不仅不切实际，还会导致分裂的全球经济格局，迫使国家在美国和中国之间选边站队。她的言辞旨在安抚人们对美中之间地缘政治分歧增加的担忧，尤其是在出口和国家安全技术控制日益升级的情况下。 耶伦强调美国的立场是寻求减少与中国的经济联系的风险，同时加强与盟友和全球合作伙伴的纽带，特别是印度太平洋地区的国家。这种方法的目标是使美国的供应链更具弹性，并利用印太地区作为美国出口的动态和增长市场。 耶伦的言辞没有明确提到中国，但她强调与印太国家更紧密融合将使该地区和美国都受益。她指出，美国与印太地区的双边贸易价值在2022年达到2.28万亿美元，较2019年增长了25%，该地区占美国出口的近四分之一。 她还提到，与该地区的更紧密经济联系是为了增强供应链安全，避免在全球从大流行病中复苏时出现瓶颈和短缺。她强调了通过与印太国家建立伙伴关系来实现供应链多样化的愿望。 总的来说，耶伦的立场表明美国愿意继续与印太地区国家深化经济关系，而不是迫使它们在美中之间做出选择。这种务实的方法对维护全球经济的稳定和繁荣至关重要。
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday sought to reassure Asian countries that the U.S. approach to China will not lead to a 'disastrous' division of the global economy that would force them to take sides.
In a speech ahead of the U.S.-hosted Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in San Francisco later this month, Yellen said that a full de-coupling of the U.S. and Chinese economies was "simply not practical," especially given the complexity of Asian supply chains and deep economic linkages to China in the region.
Her comments sought to assuage growing concerns about geopolitical fragmentation of the global economy into U.S.-led and China-led factions as export and national security technology controls grow between the world's two largest economies.
"A full separation of our economies, or an approach in which countries including those in the Indo-Pacific are forced to take sides, would have significant negative global repercussions," Yellen said. "We have no interest in such a divided world and its disastrous effects."
Yellen said the U.S. instead was pursuing the "de-risking and diversifying" of its economic ties to China, by investing in manufacturing at home and by strengthening linkages with allies and partners around the world, including Indo-Pacific countries.
The U.S. Treasury chief said the Biden administration was committed to expanding trade and investment with Indo-Pacific countries, emphasizing the region's strategic importance.
Deeper economic links with Indo-Pacific countries will help make U.S. supply chains more resilient and tap into a dynamic and growing market for U.S. exports, she said.
The Biden administration is preparing to host leaders and other top officials from APEC countries in San Francisco from Nov. 11-17.
It also has called a seventh negotiating round for its Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) initiative next week in San Francisco, aimed at reaching some agreements in time for the APEC summit.
"As we look toward APEC later this month, let me state unequivocally: Claims that America is turning away from the Indo-Pacific are wholly unfounded," Yellen said in the excerpts. "We are deepening our economic ties across the region, with tremendous potential benefits for the U.S. economy and for the Indo-Pacific."
IPEF, while far short of a traditional free trade agreement, is the Biden administration's signature initiative to engage economically with Asian countries and provide them a trade and investment alternative to China.
Yellen's excerpts did not mention China, but said deeper integration with Indo-Pacific countries would benefit the region and the U.S. She noted that U.S. two-way trade with the region reached a value of $2.28 trillion in 2022, up 25% since 2019, with the region taking nearly a quarter of U.S. exports.
"The economic case for our expanding trade and investment is clear. The Indo-Pacific is a dynamic and rapidly growing region. As it grows, we gain a fast-expanding customer base for U.S. firms and workers," Yellen said.
Part of the reason for increased trade with the region has been the migration of U.S. supply chains away from China, a trend that started with tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump in 2018 and accelerated since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yellen said economic engagement with Indo-Pacific countries, including Vietnam, is "crucial to bolstering our supply chain security" to avoid bottlenecks and shortages that occurred as the world emerged from the pandemic. She repeated her desire to diversify supply chains to countries in the region through "friend-shoring" or using trusted allies as sources of supply.
"And achieving resilience through partnering with Indo-Pacific countries means gains for Indo-Pacific economies as well," Yellen said.