獨家- 美國軍方正在談判開發面向台灣的菲律賓港口 (1/2)

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Exclusive-U.S. military in talks to develop port in Philippines facing Taiwan (1/2)

Wed, August 30, 2023 at 3:29 a.m. PDT

By Karen Lema and Poppy McPherson

MANILA (Reuters) - The U.S. military is in talks to develop a civilian port in the remote northernmost islands of the Philippines, the local governor and two other officials told Reuters, a move that would boost American access to strategically located islands facing Taiwan.

U.S. military involvement in the proposed port in the Batanes islands, less than 200 km (125 miles) from Taiwan, could stoke tensions at a time of growing friction with China and a drive by Washington to intensify its longstanding defence treaty engagement with the Philippines.

The Bashi Channel between those islands and Taiwan is considered a choke point for vessels moving between the western Pacific and the contested South China Sea and a key waterway in the case of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. The Chinese military regularly sends ships and aircraft through the channel, Taiwan's defence ministry has said.

Marilou Cayco, the provincial governor of the Batanes islands, told Reuters in a message she had sought funding from the U.S. for the building of an "an alternative port" there, which was intended to assist the unloading of cargo from the capital, Manila, during rough seas in the monsoon season.

She said the plans were to build a port on Basco island, where local authorities say high waves often make the existing port inaccessible, and that a decision could be made in October.

The Philippines has in the past year almost doubled the number of its military bases that U.S. forces can access, ostensibly for humanitarian assistance, and also has thousands of U.S. troops in the country at any given time, rotating in and out for joint training exercises. China has said these U.S. moves were "stoking the fire" of regional tensions.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the proposed port in Basco.

Two other Filipino officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media, said U.S troops had visited Batanes recently to discuss the port.

One, a senior military official, said the Filipino armed forces were interested in radar and improving monitoring capabilities in the area.

Cayco confirmed the visit, saying they came "one time to assess" the proposed alternative port.

The move comes as Washington pursues closer ties with Asian nations to counter China in the Asia-Pacific region, including the Philippines, its former colony and treaty ally.

Kanishka Gangopadhyay, a spokesperson for the U.S embassy in Manila, said U.S. Embassy and U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) experts had been engaging the governor and local government, "at their request, to discuss ways USARPAC can support engineering, medical, and agricultural development projects in the province."

He did not mention the port specifically.

(to be continued)

Translation

馬尼拉（路透社） - 當地州長和另外兩名官員告訴路透社，美國軍方正在就在菲律賓最北端的偏遠島嶼開發一個民用港口進行談判，此舉將有助於美國通往面向台灣的戰略要地島嶼。

在華盛頓與中國的摩擦日益加劇, 以及努力加強與菲律賓的長期防禦條約接觸之際，美國對巴丹群島擬建港口的軍事介入可能會加劇緊張局勢。巴丹群島距離台灣不到200公里（125英里）。

這些島嶼和台灣之間的巴士海峽被認為是西太平洋和有爭議的南海之間船隻的咽喉要道，也是中國入侵台灣時的關鍵水道。 台灣國防部表示，中國軍隊定期派遣艦艇和飛機通過該海峽。

巴丹群島省長 Marilou Cayco 在一份消息中告訴路透社，她已向美國尋求資金，在那裡建設一個 “備用港口” ，旨在在季風季節海面波濤洶湧時, 協助卸下從首都馬尼拉來的貨物。

她說，計劃是在巴丹群島建設一個港口，當地政府表示，大浪經常使現有港口無法進入，可能會在 10 月份做出決定。

去年，菲律賓批准美國軍隊可以進入的軍事基地數量幾乎增加了一倍，表面上是為了人道主義援助，而且在任何特定時間都有數千名美軍駐紮在該國，輪流進出進行聯合訓練演習。 中國表示，美國的這些舉動正在“火上加油”地令地區局勢緊張。

中國駐馬尼拉大使館沒有立即回應對提議的巴丹港口發表評論的請求。

另外兩名因無權接受媒體採訪而要求匿名的菲律賓官員表示，美國軍隊最近訪問了巴丹群島，討論了該港口的問題。

其中一位高級軍事官員表示，菲律賓武裝部隊對該地區的雷達和改善監測能力感興趣。

Cayco 證實了這次訪問，稱他們 “來評估” 倡議的備用港口。

此舉正值華盛頓尋求與亞洲國家建立更密切的關係，以在亞太地區對抗中國，其中包括其前殖民地和條約盟友菲律賓。

美國駐馬尼拉大使館發言人 Kanishka Gangopadhyay表示，美國大使館和美國太平洋陸軍(USARPAC) 專家一直在與州長和當地政府接觸，“應他們的要求，討論USARPAC 在省內的可支持工程、醫療和農業發展項目的方式。”

他沒有具體提及港口。

（待續）