奧巴馬4月訪日菲等四國 重振亞太戰略

Obama's visits to Manila and Kuala Lumpur are intended to make up for his no-show when he cancelled a previous Asia tour in October amid domestic political strife in Washington.

A subtext to his visit will be rising territorial tensions between several US allies and China, which deepened over Beijing's recent declaration of an "air defense identification zone" in the East China Sea.

Beijing was also angered last week when Washington stiffened its line on territorial disputes in the South China Sea, calling for adjusting or clarifying its claims.

Obama's stops in Japan and South Korea will also bolster close US alliances, at a time of aggravated political tensions between its two Northeast Asian friends.

It was an open secret that Obama would visit Japan in April, to take up an invitation from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who took office in December 2012.

But the decision to add South Korea to the trip came after rising pressure from Seoul and from the Asia policy community in Washington.

The Move also reflects a desire to signal to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un that there are no gaps in US and South Korean resolve to counter Pyongyang's nuclear program and provocations.

It indicates that Obama is keen to avoid dealing a political slight to South Korean President Park Geun-Hye that could have occurred if he visited Tokyo and not Seoul.

Relations between the two nations were rattled by Abe's December visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors war criminals among Japan's war dead.

Obama's Asia itinerary also includes one noticeable exception -- a stop in China. But he is expected to return to the region later in the year for regional summits in Australia, Beijing and Myanmar.

- 'Ongoing commitment' -

The White House said in a statement that Obama's April trip will highlight his "ongoing commitment to increase US diplomatic, economic and security engagement with countries in the Asia-Pacific region."

He will try to push negotiations on a vast Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact that would include 12 nations, and is seen by some observers as an attempt to meet the economic challenge of a rising China.

The president, however, may encounter some skepticism from regional partners because Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid, a key Obama ally, has expressed skepticism about granting him expanded powers to negotiate trade deals.

In light of Reid's remarks, Pacific Rim nations will be loath to make concessions in the trade talks, fearing that any deal agreed may be modified by the US Congress.

Obama will stop first in Japan, where he will meet Abe. Then he will travel to Seoul for talks with Park, likely to be dominated by North Korea's latest maneuvering on the divided peninsula.

Pyongyang is currently fuming at the prospect of annual US-South Korean military exercises starting later this month and that it views as an act of war.

From Seoul, Obama will head to Malaysia to meet Prime Minister Najib Razak to discuss deepening defense and military ties.

Obama will be the first US president to visit Malaysia since Lyndon Johnson in 1966. The Obama administration has been building on US efforts to cultivate closer ties with the country following the two-decade rule of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, who left office in 2003.

Obama's final stop will be Manila, where he will meet President Benigno Aquino and discuss evolving military relations designed to include rotations of US troops in the country.

The White House did not give exact dates for the trip, other than saying it would take place in late April. Obama is expected to be away for about a week.

- America's first 'Pacific president' -

Obama has declared he is America's first "Pacific president" and announced a rebalancing of military and strategic resources to the dynamic, fast-growing region.

But the cancellation of his trip last year, and the departure from his administration of big hitters committed to the Asia pivot like former secretary of state Hillary Clinton prompted concern in the region over US staying power.

Michael Green, who used to coordinate White House East Asia policy for president George W. Bush, said Obama must convince powers in Southeast Asia that his commitment remains firm in his second term -- amid impressions that Secretary of State John Kerry is more interested in the Middle East.

"Within Southeast Asia, they don't think that the new team has the same understanding, or commitment to the importance of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)," said Green, now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.美國白宮2月12日宣佈，美國總統奧巴馬將於今年4月訪問日本、韓國、馬來西亞和菲律賓亞洲四國，加強與亞太地區各國間的外交、經濟和安全關係。

美國白宮發言人卡尼在宣佈奧巴馬這一行程時，沒有說明爲何不訪問中國的原因。消息顯示，奧巴馬可能會在今年夏秋之際單獨訪問中國。

***天皇將見奧巴馬

奧巴馬總統將於4月下旬首先訪問日本，與日本首相安倍晉三舉行首腦會談。

奧巴馬訪問日本的目的是“加強日美同盟、深化包括跨太平洋夥伴關係協定（TPP）在內的經濟關係以及擴大在亞洲地區的外交課題相關合作”。日美兩國將在年內修改《日美防衛合作指針》，併力爭使TPP談判儘快達成協議。

這將是奧巴馬第三次訪日，也是其第二任期中的首次，上次訪日是在2010年11月。此行旨在消除因安倍參拜靖國神社導致的兩國間嫌隙，確認強化日美同盟。日本政府希望藉此機會向外界顯示日美間的團結。

有關訪日的具體日程和是否爲日本政府所希望的國事訪問，美國政府表示“正在與日本政府協調”。

日本政府關係人士透露，奧巴馬將於4月22日、23日兩天訪問日本。目前正就4月22日至23日的訪問日程進行最後協調，還沒有確定奧巴馬是否會在東京滯留2個晚上。日前訪問了華盛頓的日本外務大臣岸田文雄在與克里國務卿舉行會談時，表示：“即使住一個晚上，日本也希望給予奧巴馬國賓待遇。”因此，奧巴馬4月的日本之行，日本政府將予以國賓待遇，並安排天皇會見。

***朴槿惠不甘韓國被落下

訪問日本後，奧巴馬還將訪問韓國。韓國原本不在訪問目的地之列，朴槿惠政府爲避免奧巴馬僅訪問在歷史問題上與韓國存在對立的日本，積極爭取到奧巴馬訪韓。美國官員認爲，作爲美國盟友，日韓關係緊張不符合任何一方的利益。

奧巴馬還將訪問馬來西亞和菲律賓，力圖重整被指有名無實的重視亞洲戰略。去年10月由於聯邦政府關門，美國總統奧巴馬徹底取消原定亞洲之行，缺席當年的亞太經合組織領導人非正式會議以及美國—東盟峯會、東亞峯會。

白宮稱，此次亞洲之行是爲了“加強與亞太地區各國間的外交、經濟和安全層面的關係”。訪問日本的目的是“加強日美同盟、深化包括跨太平洋夥伴關係協定（TPP）在內的經濟關係以及擴大在亞洲地區的外交課題相關合作”。

2009年，奧巴馬在東京發表演說，以“美國曆史上首位太平洋總統”自居，宣稱美國是太平洋國家，與亞洲命運密不可分，承諾將更多參與亞洲事務，與傳統盟國加強合作。但他去年取消亞洲之旅，致力於重返亞太政策的前國務卿希拉里和前防長蓋茨紛紛掛冠而去，引發一些亞洲國家對美國實力的質疑。