The Washington Post-Blinken boosts US ties to Philippines amid China maritime aggression
March 19, 2024 3 min 576 words
在这篇报道中，我们看到美国国务卿布林肯与菲律宾高级领导人讨论了中国的安全风险，这是华盛顿和马尼拉在中国对菲律宾在南中国海目标采取越来越激进行动的背景下加强关系的最新努力。菲律宾总统马科斯试图加强其国家防御力量以抵御北京，这与他的前任杜特尔特的立场形成了鲜明对比。过去，杜特尔特曾表示“是时候告别华盛顿”，并与中国建立了更紧密的关系。而马科斯则通过与全球安全盟友建立网络，计划在下个月首次与美国和日本领导人举行联合峰会，以应对中国在争议水域的海军侵略。布林肯的访问是美国高级别代表团访问马尼拉的最新举措，显示了两国关系的密切联系。美国商务部长雷蒙多上周访问菲律宾首都宣布计划向该国科技领域投资10亿美元，这是美国努力多样化全球半导体供应并减少对中国制造的依赖的一部分。布林肯在马尼拉对记者表示，美国与菲律宾的联盟从未像现在这样强大，强调了两国对于自由、开放的印度-太平洋地区愿景的共同关切。他还重申了美国对于与菲律宾的共同防御条约的铁杆承诺。在过去的一年中，菲律宾不断记录其船只受到中国极端骚扰的情况，这些灰色地带战术几乎达到了武装攻击的程度，可能会触发华盛顿根据共同防御条约对菲律宾进行防御的义务。总的来说，这篇报道凸显了当前在南中国海地区紧张局势下美菲关系的重要性，以及美国对于支持盟友在地区安全事务中发挥的角色。
2024-03-19T07:28:31.322Z
MANILA — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed Chinese security risks on Tuesday with senior Philippine leaders, as Washington and Manila seek to bolster ties in the face of increasingly aggressive Chinese action against Philippine targets in the South China Sea.
The visit was the latest effort by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to fortify his nation against Beijing, as he steers Manila toward a much more assertive stance toward China than his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte once declared it was “time to say goodbye” to Washington and cultivated closer relations with China. Marcos, by contrast, has built up a network of global security allies to help defend against Chinese naval aggression in disputed waters and plans to visit Washington next month for the first joint summit with U.S. and Japanese leaders.
Blinken’s visit — coming in the middle of a longer swing through Europe, Asia and the Middle East — was the latest in an intense parade of high-level U.S. visits to Manila. Just last week, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo came to the Philippine capital to announce plans to invest $1 billion in the country’s tech sector, part of an ongoing U.S. effort to diversify the global supply of semiconductors and reduce reliance on Chinese manufacturing.
“The alliance has never been stronger,” Blinken told reporters in Manila, speaking alongside Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo. “We have a shared concern about [China’s] actions to threaten our common vision for a free, open Indo-Pacific.”
Blinken declared that the United States has “an ironclad commitment” to a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines that extends to any armed attack on Philippine armed forces and public vessels. “We've been very clear about that,” he said.
He said that none of the U.S. efforts to build alliances in the region “are directed against anyone or anything, they’re in service of something. They’re there for trying to realize the positive vision that all of the countries involved share of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Manalo told reporters that the U.S.-Philippine relationship has “been on hyperdrive over the past year or so,” declaring that his country is a “formidable ally for the United States.”
China lays claim to most of the South China Sea, despite conflicting claims by various countries. The Philippine claim is bolstered by a ruling in its favor by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which China does not recognize. Beijing has claimed that Washington is behind the Philippine pushback, accusing the two of fueling tension at sea.
Over the last year, the island nation has extensively documented how its vessels have come under extreme harassment by China, such as facing collisions and water cannons. These gray-zone tactics fall just short of an armed attack, which could trigger Washington’s obligations to defend the Philippines under the mutual defense treaty.
Relations between the United States and Philippines were strained under Duterte, who publicly “realigned” himself with China. But Marcos has sought international support in the South China Sea, and expanded U.S. access to Philippine military bases.
Since 2022, the Philippines has embarked on a spree of new defense agreements, signing deals with the European Union, India and Britain. Japan, Canada and France are also looking at signing military agreements with the Philippines, according to their embassies.