VOA慢速英语--Philippines Seeks to Improve Relations with US

 

The Philippines appears to be seeking a return to stronger economic relations with the United States. Experts say the change may be designed to balance the Philippines’ increasing dependence¹ on China.

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said it is “seeking to intensify² economic cooperation” in an effort to improve relations with the U.S. The department posted the message on its website. It also said stronger economic ties would “go beyond security issues.”

The two nations have been strong allies since the Philippines became independent in 1946. But relations have worsened since Rodrigo Duterte became Philippine president last year. Duterte has reacted strongly to American criticism of his deadly anti-drug campaign. One example: He reduced the number of joint³ naval⁴ guard activities.

The Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Peter Cayetano met in Washington with U.S. Senator Cory Gardner. He leads the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia. Cayetano suggested deepening the economic relationship between the two countries.

President Duterte has made major changes to his country’s foreign policy. These include searching for economic aid from China although the countries dispute territorial⁵ rights in the South China Sea. Duterte has also sought help from Russia and Japan. Japan and China are helping⁶ the Philippines with its $167 billion, five-year plan to improve public works.

Dexter Feliciano is a Filipino and founder⁷ of a new company in Manila. He says “we won’t want to distance ourselves (from) the U.S. because we are really trade partners and culturally we are connected.”

The United States has long permitted Filipinos to work in the U.S. as teachers and nurses. About 3.4 million do so. More work in the U.S. than in any other foreign country. These workers then send money to their families in the Philippines.

About 10 million Filipinos work in other foreign countries.

The United States is among the top foreign investors⁸ in the Philippines. A U.S. embassy official in Manila says the United States has made more than $4.5 billion in direct investment in the country. It is also a top trading partner, she said: the two sides exchanged more than $17 billion in goods last year.

Americans own Convergys, the Philippines’ largest private employer. The embassy says the information management company employs more than 60,000 Filipinos.

Duterte and some Filipinos have complained that the U.S. economic aid comes with conditions. For example, last year the U.S. government stopped planned sales of 26,000 firearms to the Philippines. The U.S. also said it would redirect $9 million in aid away from the Philippine anti-drug training.

The American government criticized Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, which included killing⁹ drug crime suspects without trial.

Businessman Feliciano says, “Aid given by the U.S has strings¹⁰ attached. We have to do this, we have to do that. But what if the government doesn’t want to do it?”

Experts say military and public pressure may have pushed Duterte to try to strengthen the Philippines’ relationship with the United States. Early this year, a research company in Manila, the Social Weather Stations, found that about 70 percent of Filipinos place “much trust” in the United States.

Carl Thayer is a retired¹¹ professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia. He has studied Southeast Asia for many years. He says Duterte’s position as chairman of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations could be influencing his actions as well. Thayer says much of Southeast Asia depends upon the United States for trade and defense¹² support.

Experts note that Chinese aid also has limits.

Thayer says, “You get an impression that the leaning to China has had its limits and constraints¹⁴.” It’s resulted in a lot of promises and some delivery,” he said, “but not completely.”

Thayer says a return to close ties with the United States shows that the Philippine government is becoming more realistic.

I’m Anne Ball.

Words in This Story

access – n. permission or ability to enter something; freedom to make use of something

complain – v. to criticize; to accuse a person of something

strings attached – expression something with special demands or restrictions¹⁵

impression – n. an effect, influence or improvement of something

constraint¹³ – n. control that restricts or limits

1 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

2 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

5 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

8 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

9 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

10 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

11 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

12 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。

13 constraint   

n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物

参考例句：

• The boy felt constraint in her presence.那男孩在她面前感到局促不安。
• The lack of capital is major constraint on activities in the informal sector.资本短缺也是影响非正规部门生产经营的一个重要制约因素。

14 constraints   

强制( constraint的名词复数 )； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• Data and constraints can easily be changed to test theories. 信息库中的数据和限制条件可以轻易地改变以检验假设。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• What are the constraints that each of these imply for any design? 这每种产品的要求和约束对于设计意味着什么？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

15 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制