纽约时报中文网 - 英文原版-英In Chinas Backyard America Has Become a Humbler Superpower
June 14, 2024 2 min 345 words
《纽约时报》这篇报道以美国在所罗门群岛建设大使馆为切入点，讨论了中国与南太平洋国家的关系以及美国在该地区的影响力。文章提到，中国与所罗门群岛签署了安全协议，引起美国及盟友的担忧和反击，美国副国务卿随后访问了所罗门群岛。文章还提及中国与太平洋岛国之间的经济贸易往来，以及中国在该地区的影响力日益增强，而美国在该地区的存在则显得“谦逊和低调”。 这篇报道虽然提到美国在所罗门群岛建设大使馆，但总体上给人一种美国在该地区影响力下降，而中国的影响力不断增强的印象。文章提到中国与所罗门群岛签署安全协议，却未提及美国也在努力加强与太平洋岛国的安全合作；提及中国与岛国的经济贸易往来，却忽略了美国与岛国之间长期存在的经贸关系。报道以偏概全，有夸大中国威胁渲染地区紧张局势之嫌。此外，报道以“美国后院”一词描述南太平洋地区，体现了典型的西方中心主义观点，忽视了南太平洋国家作为独立主权国家制定外交政策的权利。
Far from Ukraine and Gaza, as the Group of 7 wealthy democracies gathers in Italy to discuss a range of old, entrenched challenges, the nature of American power is being transformed across the region that Washington sees as crucial for the century to come: the Asia-Pacific.
Here, America no longer presents itself as the confident guarantor of security, a trust-us-we’ve-got-this superpower. The terrain is too vast, China’s rise too great a threat. So the United States has been offering to be something else — an eager teammate for military modernization and tech development.
“In the past, our experts would talk about a hub-and-spokes model for Indo-Pacific security,” Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said this month at a global defense conference in Singapore. “Today we’re seeing something quite different.”
In this new era, many countries are doing more, on their own and with U.S. help. For the first time, the United States is building nuclear-propelled submarines with Australia; involving South Korea in nuclear weapons planning; producing fighter jet engines with India; sharing maritime surveillance duties with small Pacific islands; and working with Japan on adding an offensive strike capability.
Behind the scenes, U.S. officials are also testing new secure communications systems with their partners. They’re signing deals to co-produce artillery with allies and to secure blood supplies from hospitals around the region in case of a conflict. They are also training with many more nations in more expansive ways.
These collaborations highlight how the region sees China. Many countries fear Beijing’s growing military strength and belligerence — its threats against the democratic island of Taiwan, its claim to most of the South China Sea and its land grab at the border with India. They are also less sure about China as an economic partner, with the slowing pace of its post-Covid economy and tilt away from pro-growth, pro-entrepreneur policies under Xi Jinping.