歐巴馬政府的南海政策：中國的回應及對台灣的影響

Obama’s South China Sea Policy: China’s Response and Implications for Taiwan

歐巴馬政府堅決維持美國在南海的航行自由，並在島礁主權歸屬爭端上採取中立的立場。2009 年起美國軍艦、軍機在南海，遭遇一連串被中國人民解放軍騷擾或攔截的對峙事件。美國國務卿希拉蕊在2010 年7 月「東協區域論壇」談話，被北京視為美國改變南海政策及執行亞太再平衡的戰略。歐巴馬政府捲入中國與東協聲索國之間的爭端，支持菲律賓提請國際仲裁，質疑中國「九段線」的合法性。中國政府批評美國將南海國際化，降低和平解決的機會，對中國海洋安全逐漸增加威脅。北京面對美國與安全的壓力，希望與台灣一起確保中國在南海的主權。然而，美國對南海日益關注，台灣與中國聯合資源開發、政策協調，卻增加了新的限制。馬英九政府對菲律賓提起國際仲裁決定不承認相關判斷，同時面對南海日益軍事化。這兩者對台灣在南海安全利益形成新的挑戰。

The Obama administration has adamantly maintained that its interest in the South China Sea is in freedom of navigation and has indicated a neutral position on the claims of disputants to specific islands or reefs. In 2009, a series of standoffs between China and the U.S. erupted with U.S. surface ships and military fighter jets either harassed or intercepted by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in the South China Sea. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s remark on the South China Sea has been perceived as an indicator of the U.S. changing its South China Sea policy and implementing its rebalancing strategy. The Obama administration has also been entangled in tensions between China and ASEAN claimants in the South China Sea disputes. The U.S. supports the Philippine approach to take the dispute to international arbitration and questions the legality of China’s nine-dash line in the South China Sea. The Chinese government criticized the U.S. for internationalizing the South China Sea issue, for reducing the chance for peaceful settlement of the dispute, and posing an increasing threat to Chinese maritime security. Facing pressure from the U.S. and ASEAN, Beijing has been more eager to enlist Taiwan to jointly assert Chinese sovereignty in the South China Sea. Nevertheless, the U.S.’s growing attention on the South China Sea has created constraints for Taiwan regarding cooperation with China both in joint oil exploration and in policy coordination vis-à-vis other ASEAN claimants. The Ma Ying-jeou government decided that it will not recognize related awards of the Philippine arbitration case and faces increasing militarization of the South China Sea. Both pose new security challenges for Taiwan in the South China Sea.