2016年CRI China's voices after Duterte's speech

 

Tuesday's comments were the first since Rodrigo Duterte became Philippines president, confirming he was open to talks with China.

During the speech before his country's Air Force, he said he wanted friendly relations with China and that he was against any armed conflict.

Li Kaisheng with Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences suggests the speech shows a significant difference in attitude over the issue between the new and former Philippine governments.

"President Duterte holds a totally different attitude over the arbitration¹ from his predecessor². Benigno S. Aquino III wanted to use the case to heighten the stakes of the situation in the region, while Duterte expects talks with Beijing, though it will only take place after the ruling and will be based on the verdict."

The researcher says it's unlikely that the Philippine side will withdraw the case, but it should do more than China when it comes to the improvement of bilateral³ ties.

"Given the public opinion and political factors in the Philippines as well as the arbitration proceedings⁴ and the role of the United States in the issue, it's impossible for Duterte to withdraw the case. It's better for him to take some steps to alleviate⁵ the aftermath of the arbitration."

With less than a week before the ruling, a Chinese military exercise is underway in the waters of the South China Sea, drawing massive attention.

Chinese authorities have said the routine drill doesn't target anyone, while rear admiral Yin Zhuo suggests it displays Chinese military capability⁶ in defending the country's maritime⁷ interests.

"Any military drill by any country in the South China Sea has political purposes. Our purpose is to show the Chinese navy's determination and capability in protecting our country's maritime territory and interests. Any attempt to change China's stance by force or threat will end in vain. It's also impossible for the United State to make China accept the so-called ruling by deploying⁸ aircraft carriers!"

At the same time, experts at a dialogue in Washington between Chinese and American think tanks are suggesting efforts should be made to cool down the issue and the two sides should well manage their differences to avoid damages to their relations.

Wang Fan with China Foreign Affairs University warns the Sino-US relations will go backwards⁹ if the US side decided¹⁰ to take sides in the dispute.

"We hope the US neither adds fuel to the flame nor takes side in the dispute, which will further complicate¹¹ the issue. There are many other issues the two sides need to address. South China Sea should not take a major part in the Sino-US relations. The issue has nothing to do with the US' national interests. If it takes side, China's sovereignty will be impaired¹², the bilateral ties will regress significantly."

For CRI, it's Liu Mohan.

1 arbitration   

n.调停，仲裁

参考例句：

• The wage disagreement is under arbitration.工资纠纷正在仲裁中。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding.双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

2 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

3 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

4 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

5 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

6 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

7 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

8 deploying   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的现在分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Provides support for developing and deploying distributed, component-based applications. 为开发和部署基于组件的分布式应用程序提供支持。
• Advertisement, publishing, repair, and install-on-demand are all available when deploying your application. 在部署应用程序时提供公布、发布、修复和即需即装功能。

9 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 complicate   

vt.使复杂化，使混乱，使难懂

参考例句：

• There is no need to complicate matters.没有必要使问题复杂化。
• These events will greatly complicate the situation.这些事件将使局势变得极其复杂。

12 impaired   

adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Much reading has impaired his vision. 大量读书损害了他的视力。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His hearing is somewhat impaired. 他的听觉已受到一定程度的损害。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》