【英语财经】美国宣布18.3亿美元对台军售 US to sell $1.83bn of weapons to Taiwan

The Obama administration is set to test the new relationship between the US military and its Chinese counterpart after it decided to announce a new $1.83bn package of arms sales to Taiwan.

The new weapons sales to Taiwan, which will be the first in four years, will include two Navy frigates, a range of missiles and amphibious vehicles.

The decision, which has already been heavily criticised by Beijing, comes amid continued tensions between the US and China in the South China Sea.

The timing of the weapons package represents a delicate exercise in diplomacy — coming after the successful conclusion of the Paris climate change talks, when the US and China worked together, but before the January presidential elections in Taiwan where the candidate more critical of China is favoured to win.

When the administration announced a $6.4bn package of weapons for Taiwan in 2011, China responded by blocking high-level exchanges between the two militaries for almost a year.

However, over the past 18 months, the US and China have tried to establish a more measured relationship between their militaries, including the signing of four confidence-building agreements to reduce the chances of accidents at sea and in the air.

After the US sailed a destroyer near a Chinese artificial island in October, China angrily denounced the move. However, US officials said that China continued to use the new mechanisms of communication between the militaries that have been established to discuss sensitive issues.

The $1.83bn weapons package includes two guided-missile frigates, Javelin anti-tank missiles, Stinger surface-to-air missiles, TOW anti-tank missiles and AAV-7 amphibious assault vehicles.

Even before any new weapons package had been announced, China sharply criticised the expected decision. “We resolutely oppose sales of weaponry or military technology to Taiwan by any country in any form or using any excuse,” Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Wednesday.

While officials say the administration has been debating the new arms package for some time, it has faced a number of reasons to put off the decision — ranging from the visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September, to the climate change talks, to the desire not to provoke Beijing further while the Pentagon was challenging Chinese claims to territorial seas in the South China Sea.

However, the upcoming Taiwanese election has also concentrated the minds of the administration. Tsai Ing-wen, leader of the independence-leaning opposition DPP, is strongly favoured to win the January vote, which is likely to result in new friction between Taiwan and China. A new US arms sale shortly after a Tsai election victory might only add to those tensions.

“If we were to do this after the election, it will look to Beijing as if we are endorsing Tsai, or even egging her on,” said a former senior US official.

Congress has been pushing the administration to resume arms sales to Taiwan, including passing legislation last year that authorised the sale of up to four guided-missile frigates. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law but has only now informed Congress of specific plans for selling the vessels.

奥巴马政府即将考验美中军方的新关系，此前它决定宣布新的价值18.3亿美元的一揽子对台湾武器销售。

新的对台军售将是4年来的首次，将包括两艘护卫舰、各型导弹以及两栖突击车。

奥巴马政府作出上述决定之际，美国和中国在南中国海持续关系紧张。北京方面已经猛烈抨击了该决定。

宣布军售方案的时机代表着一种微妙的外交把握，它是在美中合作的巴黎气候变化谈判成功完成之后，但在明年1月台湾总统选举之前——更喜欢抨击中国的候选人有望在选举中胜出。

2011年奥巴马政府宣布对台64亿美元军售之后，中国中断两国军方高级别交流近一年时间。

然而，在过去18个月里，美国和中国努力让两国军方建立一种更有分寸的关系，包括签署4项构建互信的协议，以降低在海上和空中发生意外冲突的几率。

在今年10月美国一艘驱逐舰驶近中国人造岛屿之后，中国愤怒地进行了谴责。然而，美国官员表示，中国继续使用两军之间讨论敏感问题的新的通信机制。

价值18.3亿美元的军售包括两艘导弹护卫舰、标枪(Javelin)反坦克导弹、毒刺(Stinger)地对空导弹、陶式(TOW)反坦克导弹以及AAV-7两栖突击车。

甚至在美国宣布新的对台军售之前，中国就对这一预期中的决定作出严厉谴责。中国国务院台湾事务办公室发言人马晓光周三表示：“我们坚决反对任何国家以任何形式或借口向台湾出售武器、武器装备或技术。”

尽管官员们表示，奥巴马政府围绕新的对台军售展开辩论已有一段时间，但它面临推迟决定的诸多理由，从9月份中国国家主席习近平访美，气候变化谈判，到在五角大楼挑战中国在南中国海领海主张的同时不希望进一步激怒北京。

然而，台湾大选的临近使奥巴马政府拿定了主意。有着独立倾向的台湾反对党民进党领导人蔡英文(Tsai Ing-wen)极有可能在1月选举中胜出，这可能导致台湾与中国大陆发生新的摩擦。在蔡英文胜选后不久宣布新的对台军售只会加剧紧张局势。

一位美国前高官表示：“如果我们在台湾选举后宣布新的军售，将会让北京方面认为我们似乎在为蔡英文站队，甚至在鼓动她。”

美国国会一直在推动奥巴马政府恢复对台军售，包括去年通过了授权向台湾出售至多4艘导弹护卫舰的法案。美国总统巴拉克?奥巴马(Barack Obama)将该法案签署为法律，但直至现在才告知国会出售这些军舰的具体计划。

译者/邹策