美国国家公共电台 NPR--Deals with smaller Pacific rim nations are part of Washington's plan to deflect China

Deals with smaller Pacific rim¹ nations are part of Washington's plan to deflect² China

Transcript³

The U.S. is strengthening ties with several Pacific nations in an effort to expand influence in the region and counter China.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Deals with smaller Pacific Rim countries are also part of Washington's strategy to deflect China. As WUNC's Jay Price reports, the U.S. is forging these agreements to expand its influence, solidify⁴ existing relationships and give the military more footholds.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

LLOYD AUSTIN: We're pleased to announce today that President Marcos has approved four new EDCA locations.

JAY PRICE, BYLINE⁵: In Manila last month, Secretary of Defense⁶ Lloyd Austin unveiled a new agreement with the Philippines. It gives the U.S. access to four bases there. That made a big splash. Getting less attention, though, has been a flurry of other dealmaking in the past few weeks with tiny nations scattered⁷ across the Pacific. Three preliminary agreements renew and expand long-term deals with the governments of Palau, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia. And in February, the State Department opened a new U.S. embassy in the Solomon Islands. It says it's discussing two more embassies in Tonga and Kiribati and is negotiating a security agreement with yet another island nation, Papua New Guinea. Derek Grossman is a senior defense analyst⁸ with RAND Corporation.

DEREK GROSSMAN: So we are definitely in the business now of trying to maintain the edge that we have, influence-wise, in the Pacific Islands vis-a-vis China.

PRICE: Many of these smaller nations are part of what's sometimes referred to in geopolitical circles as the second island chain, a vaguely-defined group that's farther from the Asian mainland and Chinese missile launchers than, say, Taiwan and Japan, but close enough to help the U.S. project power into the region. And that's why...

GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN: We have to be friends with these island nations for that eventuality.

PRICE: Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan represents the Northern Mariana Islands in the U.S. Congress. This second chain isn't really a chain, it's a patchwork⁹ that includes the Northern Marianas and another U.S. territory, Guam, where, not coincidentally, in January, the Marine¹⁰ Corps¹¹ activated¹² its first new base in 70 years. Sablan called the recent diplomatic moves in his region an important deterrent¹³ to war. He cites speculation¹⁴ he's seen from think tanks.

SABLAN: Some people in think tanks already are exhibiting with, you know, exhibitions of who's first is going to get destroyed and then who's the second wave and, you know, all of those things, right? We need to strengthen it before we get there.

PRICE: It's unclear how much this will cost. A State Department spokesperson said the U.S. sends Palau, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia, together, more than $300 million a year now under deals called compacts of free association. The State Department declined to say how much it's offering in negotiations¹⁵ to renew the 20-year compacts, but leaders of two of the countries have suggested the payments could increase 75% or more. The three nations are already so closely tied to the U.S., their citizens can live and work here and get benefits like Medicaid.

GROSSMAN: In return, what we get, as the United States, is near-exclusive military access to the freely associated states.

PRICE: Again, defense analyst Derek Grossman.

GROSSMAN: We can set up basing on their territories. We can fly over their territories. We can use their 200-nautical-mile distance off their shores for military purposes. I mean, there are very few limitations.

PRICE: Grossman says, for their part, the island nations have little interest in the maneuvering¹⁶ between the U.S. and China. Instead, they're looking for help with things like bolstering¹⁷ economies damaged by the pandemic and especially dealing¹⁸ with climate change, which they regard as a much larger threat than China.

GROSSMAN: And they've come out saying, we get it. We know that this is about competition against China, but we also need to make sure that our own national interests are preserved.

PRICE: And now they've got a little leverage¹⁹. For NPR News, I'm Jay Price in Durham, N.C.

(SOUNDBITE OF EDAMAME'S "APRICITY")

1 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。

2 deflect   

v.(使)偏斜，(使)偏离，(使)转向

参考例句：

• Never let a little problem deflect you.决不要因一点小问题就半途而废。
• They decided to deflect from the original plan.他们决定改变原计划。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 solidify   

v.(使)凝固，(使)固化，(使)团结

参考例句：

• Opinion on this question began to solidify.对这个问题的意见开始具体化了。
• Water will solidify into ice if you freeze it.水冷冻会结冰。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

7 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 patchwork   

n.混杂物；拼缝物

参考例句：

• That proposal is nothing else other than a patchwork.那个建议只是一个大杂烩而已。
• She patched new cloth to the old coat,so It'seemed mere patchwork. 她把新布初到那件旧上衣上，所以那件衣服看上去就象拼凑起来的东西。

10 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

11 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

12 activated   

adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The canister is filled with activated charcoal.蒸气回收罐中充满了活性炭。

13 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

14 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

15 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

16 maneuvering   

v.移动，用策略( maneuver的现在分词 )；操纵

参考例句：

• This Manstein did, with some brilliant maneuvering under the worse winter conditions. 曼施坦因在最恶劣的严冬条件下，出色地施展了灵活机动的战术，终于完成了任务。 来自辞典例句
• In short, large goals required farsighted policies, not tactical maneuvering. 一句话，大的目标需要有高瞻远瞩的政策，玩弄策略是不行的。 来自辞典例句

17 bolstering   

v.支持( bolster的现在分词 )；支撑；给予必要的支持；援助

参考例句：

• Why should Donahue's people concern themselves with bolstering your image? 唐纳休的人为什么要费心维护你的形象？ 来自辞典例句
• He needed bolstering and support. 他需要别人助他一臂之力。 来自辞典例句

18 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

19 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。