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“pivot to Asia”

2016/10/27 08:41:28 網誌分類: 生活
27 Oct
          World leaders often coin their own terms to describe their relationship with other countries. The word“coin”refers to money, such as a dollar coin, but it can also mean to invent a new word or phrase. When Bill Clinton was president, he coined the term“strategic partners”to describe America’s relationship with China. The term means an arrangement between two sides to work together to make it easier to achieve what they want to achieve. When George W. Bush took over from Clinton in 2001, he did away with “strategic partners” and coined?the term “strategic competitors” to describe America’s relationship with China. Bush considered China a rival instead of a partner and preferred a strategy that competed rather than cooperated with China.

         When Barack Obama took over from Bush in 2009, the US was still fighting the Middle East wars that Bush had started. Bush had focused mostly on Middle East issues and his war on terrorism. He paid very little attention to Asia while he was president. Obama wanted the US to get back the influence, military power, and respect it once had in Asia. He and Hillary Clinton, who was the US Secretary of State at the time, coined the expression “pivot to Asia”. When Rodrigo Duterte was elected president of the Philippines in May of this year, he wanted to rely less on the US and?pivoted?to China during a visit to Beijing last week. He coined the term “separation from America” during his Beijing visit. This means to break away and depend less on the US.

         The word “pivot” has several meanings and can be used in different ways but used this way it means to rebalance or to change the direction of something. The word “rebalance” means to bring back the correct balance. Obama’s “pivot to Asia”, therefore, means rebalancing America’s policies so that it remains influential in Asia and not only in the Middle East. The “pivot to Asia” is intended to make sure the US remains a superpower in Asia. It has won support from countries such as Japan, Vietnam, and Singapore but not China.

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          世界各國的領袖不時創造(coin)自己的詞彙,去形容他們與別國的關係。 Coin 可以指貨幣,例如一元硬幣(coin),但它也解作杜撰新字或新的語句。當克林頓做總統時,他創作了(coined)新的詞語“strategic partners”,去形容美國與中國的關係。此語的意思是「策略夥伴」,即雙方通過緊密的合作以達成目的。當喬治布殊於2001年接替克林頓時,卻廢了“strategic partners”一詞,另創(coined)新詞“strategic competitors”去形容中美關係。布殊將中國視作競爭對手而非夥伴,寧取競爭的策略而非與中國合作。

          當奧巴馬於2009年接替布殊時,美國還在打着由布殊發起的中東戰爭。布殊任總統時,相當專注於中東議題和他的反恐戰爭,不太關注亞洲。奧巴馬想帶領美國重新取得從前在亞洲所有的影響力、軍事勢力和尊重。他和當時的國務卿希拉莉創作(coined)新語“pivot to Asia”(轉向亞洲)。當羅德里戈.杜特爾特於今年五月當選新一任菲律賓總統時,不欲過度倚賴美國,而於上周的北京之行中轉向(pivoted)中國。在北京訪問期間,他創造了(coined)新語“separation from America”,意即與美國分離,減少對美方的倚賴。

          Pivot 有幾個意思和用法,在這裏是指轉移方向,或是 rebalance ,即重新調整以達至理想的平衡。因此,奧巴馬的「轉向亞洲」(“pivot to Asia”)是指重新平衡(rebalancing)美國的政策,保持在亞洲、而非單單在中東的影響力。這個「轉向亞洲」(“pivot to Asia”)是為了確保美國在亞洲仍然是超級強國。它已取得日本、越南和新加坡等國的支持——除了中國。mickchug@gmail.com

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

        
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