華盛頓就白宮評論向台灣總統領先者施壓 FT / Taimocracy翻譯 20230720

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盼走入白宮！ 賴：2024是中南海跟白宮的選擇

Washington presses Taiwan presidential frontrunner on White House comments 華盛頓就白宮評論向台灣總統領先者施壓    FT / Taimocracy翻譯 20230720

Lai’s remarks at odds with longstanding policy about official visits to the US  賴的談話與有關官方訪美的長期政策不一致

 

US officials have asked Taiwan to clarify the presidential front-runner’s contentious remarks about White House visits, highlighting doubts over his approach to relations with China if he secures victory in January’s poll.  美國官員強調如果他在一月份的大選中獲勝，對他與中國關係的態度表示懷疑，而要求台灣澄清這位總統大選領先者關於白宮訪問的有爭議的言論。

At a recent campaign event, Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s vice-president and presidential candidate for the ruling Democratic Progressive party in next year’s election, said that “when Taiwan’s president can enter the White House, the political goal that we’re pursuing will have been achieved”.  在最近的一次競選活動中，台灣副總統、明年執政的民進黨總統候選人賴清德表示，「當台灣總統能夠進入白宮時，我們所追求的政治目標就已經實現」。

Top Taiwanese officials are not allowed to make official visits to Washington, as part of the equation that has guided US policy on Beijing and Taipei since 1979.  自1979年以來，根據指導美國對北京和台北政策的因素，台灣高層官員不被允許進行正式訪問華盛頓。

Under its “one China” policy, the US recognises Beijing as the sole government of China and acknowledges — without endorsing — the Chinese view that Taiwan is part of China. The Biden administration has made it easier for officials to meet their Taiwanese counterparts but bars top officials to visit Washington.   根據「一個中國」政策，美國承認北京是中國的唯一政府，並認知 - 但不認可 - 中國的觀點，即台灣是中國的一部分。拜登政府使官員更容易會見台灣同行，但禁止高級官員訪問華盛頓。

Lai’s comments prompted the US to seek an explanation, according to eight people in Washington and Taipei briefed on the situation.  根據在華盛頓和台北獲悉情況的八名消息人士透露，賴的評論促使美國尋求解釋。

One senior Taiwanese official said the US state department saw Lai’s remarks as divergent from the prudent approach on cross-Strait relations taken by President Tsai Ing-wen.  一位台灣高級官員表示，美國國務院認為賴清德的言論與蔡英文總統對兩岸關係採取的審慎態度不同。

“They considered it as something very different from what we have been saying and asked if . . . Lai will be coming out with more surprises,” he said. During the administration of Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan president from 2000 to 2008, Washington’s trust in Taipei eroded as he frequently made unexpected moves and statements without any co-ordination with Washington.  「他們認為這與我們一直以來所說的有很大不同，並詢問賴是否會帶來更多意外，」他說。在陳水扁擔任台灣總統（2000年至2008年）期間，由於他經常做出突然的舉動和發表不經過與華盛頓協調的聲明，使得華盛頓對台北的信任逐漸削弱。

Dennis Wilder, a former White House China official, said the administration was “very anxious” about Lai and wanted “to head off a Chen Shui-bian type situation”. But he said it was hamstrung because any public rebuke could spark support for Taiwan from Congress. “What can they actually use for leverage with a politician like Lai?”  前白宮中國官員鄧尼斯·懷爾德（Dennis Wilder）表示，政府對賴清德「非常焦慮」，並希望「避免陳水扁式的局面」。但他表示，這是受阻的，因為任何公開譴責都可能引發國會對台灣的支援。「他們實際上可以利用什麼來對付像賴這樣的政治人物？」

The controversy comes just weeks before Lai is scheduled to make two transit stops in the US on his way to from South America. Asked about the situation on Wednesday, China’s ambassador to Washington Xie Feng described Lai as a “separatist”, a phrase Beijing frequency uses for DPP politicians in Taiwan.  這場爭議發生在賴即將在前往南美途中計劃在美國進行兩個過境停留的僅僅數週前。在周三對此情況發表評論時，中國駐華盛頓大使謝鋒形容賴為「分裂主義者」，這是北京經常用來形容台灣民進黨政治人物的詞語。

Xie declined to say if a Taiwanese president visiting the White House would be a “red line” for China, but said Beijing was very unhappy about the upcoming transit. “The priority for us is to stop Lai Ching-te from visiting the United States, which is like a grey rhino charging at us,” he told the Aspen Security Forum.  謝鋒拒絕透露台灣總統訪問白宮是否將成為中國的「紅線」，但他表示北京對即將到來的過境停留非常不滿。他在亞斯彭安全論壇上說：「對我們來說，首要任務是阻止賴清德訪問美國，這就像一頭灰色犀牛向我們衝來。」

Lai is coming under more scrutiny for signs of how he will handle relations with the US and China, particularly as concerns mount about increasingly assertive Chinese military activity around Taiwan.  賴清德正受到更多關注，以觀察他如何處理與美國和中國的關係，尤其是在中國日益強硬的軍事活動在台灣周圍引發擔憂的情況下。

Jude Blanchette, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think-tank, said Lai’s comments were “super unhelpful” and reinforced concerns among some experts in Washington about his foreign policy acumen.  戰略與國際研究中心的中國專家裘德·布蘭切特表示，賴清德的言論「超級沒有幫助」，加深了華盛頓一些專家對他外交政策能力的擔憂

When Lai met supporters on July 10, a campaigner described the upcoming election as a choice between Zhongnanhai, the seat of Chinese Communist party leaders, and the White House, and said Lai was the only candidate who was “walking towards the White House”.  7月10日，賴清德在與支持者會面時，將即將到來的選舉形容為「中南海和白宮之間的選擇」，並表示賴清德是唯一「走向白宮」的候選人。

Lai picked up on that phrase as an analogy for Taiwan aligning itself with the US rather than China, but then complained that Taiwanese presidents were not received at the White House in the same way as other world leaders.

“The way it was phrased certainly wasn’t ideal, and it has caused some misunderstandings,” said one aide. “But [ . . . ] his point was the choice between the US and China.”   賴清德將這句話視為台灣與美國而非中國對齊的比喻，但他隨後抱怨台灣總統未像其他世界領導人那樣受到白宮接待。一名助手說：「這種措辭當然不理想，引起了一些誤解，但他的意思是要在美國和中國之間做出選擇。」

Vincent Chao, a Lai spokesperson, said the vice-president had “always been clear about the importance of Taiwan’s international partnerships” including with the US.  賴清德的發言人趙怡翔表示，副總統一直明確表達台灣與美國等國際夥伴關係的重要性。

Two Taiwanese government officials familiar with the situation said Washington had “inquired” about the remarks but there were no serious concerns and the issue had now been resolved.  兩位熟悉情況的台灣政府官員表示，華盛頓已經「詢問」有關這些言論，但沒有嚴重的擔憂，這個問題現在已解決。

A senior US official said the White House had “not been in touch with Lai, his campaign, or his staff” including on the comments. He declined to say if other parts of the administration had raised concerns with Taipei and said the administration would not comment on Lai’s remarks. Some US officials believe Lai will be more measured over time, but others say that the administration needs to send a message about loose language.  一名美國高級官員表示，白宮與賴清德、他的競選團隊或工作人員之間「沒有接觸」，包括對於這些言論的評論。他拒絕透露是否有其他政府部門對台北提出擔憂，並表示政府不會評論賴清德的發言。一些美國官員相信，賴清德的言論會逐漸收斂，但也有人認為政府需要發出有關言論不慎的警示訊息。

But Washington has to take a delicate approach because it does not want to appear to influence the outcome of Taiwan’s election. Recommended Taiwan Taiwan election candidate risks China’s anger with planned US trip “The administration has to be crystal clear with candidates in Taiwan about US interests and red lines while also demonstrating that the US is not favouring any party in Taiwan’s democratic election,” said Zack Cooper, an Asia expert at the American Enterprise Institute. “We will see the administration engage privately with candidates when they have concerns, rather than airing them in public.”  但華盛頓必須採取謹慎的態度，因為它不想顯得影響台灣選舉的結果。美國企業研究所的亞洲專家扎克·庫珀（Zack Cooper）表示：「政府必須對台灣的候選人明確表達美國的利益和底線，同時展示美國不偏袒台灣民主選舉中的任何政黨。」「當政府對候選人有擔憂時，我們將看到他們私下與候選人進行接觸，而不是公開表達這些擔憂。」

One person said the request for clarification sent an important signal to Beijing that the US was upholding the “one China” policy and that it could “help stabilise an increasingly dangerous situation”.  有人表示，對北京發出澄清要求傳遞了一個重要訊號，表明美國堅持「一個中國」政策，這可能有助於「穩定日益危險的局勢」。

 

Demetri Sevastopulo  Demetri Sevastopulo covers all aspects of the US-China relationship, ranging from foreign policy, national security and intelligence to trade, economics and business.
Demetri served as Washington Bureau Chief from 2015 to 2021, covering the White House, Trump administration and the 2016 and 2020 presidential races. During his more than 13 years reporting from Washington, he spent six years covering the Pentagon and intelligence agencies during the Bush and Obama administrations. He has interviewed everyone from Donald Rumsfeld to Donald Trump.
Since leaving his native Ireland three decades ago, Demetri has lived in Tokyo, Beijing, Hong Kong and Washington. Before returning to Washington in 2015, he spent five years in Hong Kong where he was South China Correspondent and served as Asia News Editor, running the FT daily news operations in the region.
Demetri speaks fluent Japanese and (rusty) Chinese. Follow him on Instagram.

Kathrin Hille  Kathrin Hille writes about Taiwan, regional security and hardware technology for the FT. She was previously the FT’s Moscow bureau chief, a correspondent in the Beijing bureau and Taiwan correspondent. Before she joined the FT, she was world news editor at Financial Times Deutschland and editor at AsiaBridge, a German monthly industry magazine.