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New Charter doesn't clear divergences between US, UK

新宪章签订难掩分歧美英关系仍将面临挑战

来源:China Military Online 责任编辑:Li Jiayao
2021-06-18 17:55:17

苟子奕

By Gou Ziyi

6月10日,美国总统拜登同英国首相约翰逊签署《新大西洋宪章》,双方宣布将在贸易、科技、情报等领域加强合作。自拜登政府上台以来,强调美国回归“联盟政治”,虽然美国不断深化和英国的双边关系,但两国间的矛盾与分歧依旧存在。

The US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed The New Atlantic Charter on June 10, announcing their intention to intensify cooperation in such areas as trade, technology and intelligence. After Biden took office, he has been working hard to resume the “alliance politics”, but despite Washington’s efforts to mend and deepen its bilateral relationship with the UK, their conflicts and divergences remain uncleared.

《新大西洋宪章》效仿1941年美国总统罗斯福和英国首相丘吉尔签订的《大西洋宪章》。《大西洋宪章》的签署背景是第二次世界大战,该宪章阐述了战后民主世界的愿景,成为世界反法西斯战争中的重要文件。

The New Atlantic Charter is named after the agreement, The Atlantic Charter, signed between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1941 during WWII, which was an important document in the world anti-Fascist War as it envisioned a democratic world after the war.

《新大西洋宪章》签订的时代背景与1941年截然不同,美英两国提出将以共同价值观为基础,就促进民主、维护国际秩序、强化科技优势、重申集体安全、构建公平贸易体系、应对气候变化等8个领域展开合作。此外,宪章同时提出两国需共同应对新冠肺炎疫情、网络攻击、气候变化、生物多样性等挑战。

The New Atlantic Charter is signed in a completely different time than 1941. In the new charter, the US and the UK proposed to, based on common values, cooperate in eight areas, including promoting democracy, maintaining international order, strengthening innovative edge in science and technology, reaffirming collective security, building a fair trade system, and tackling climate change. They also vowed to jointly cope with challenges in COVID-19 pandemic, cyberattacks, climate change and biodiversity.

美英双方通过签订新宪章维护并深化双边关系,但仍难掩分歧。

Both sides hope to maintain and consolidate bilateral relations by signing the new document, which, however, isn’t likely to be able to make their divergences go away.

首先,美英围绕《北爱尔兰和平协议》龃龉不断。英国与欧洲国家在英国北爱尔兰地区与爱尔兰的边界问题上频生争议,拜登一直强调英国需遵守《北爱尔兰和平协议》,反对英国违背“脱欧”协议。2021年6月3日,美驻英最高外交官兰珀特就该问题公开指责英国并发起外交照会。美国国家安全事务助理沙利文强调,《北爱尔兰和平协议》是维护北爱尔兰和平的基石,美国不支持任何危及或破坏协议的行为。《新大西洋宪章》的签署难以从根本上解决问题。

For one thing, the two countries never see eye to eye on The Good Friday Agreement. Britain has had constant arguments with European countries about the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, and Biden has insisted that Britain should abide by the agreementand stick to the Brexit deal. On June 3, 2021, Yael Lempert, America’s most senior diplomat in Britain, publicly criticized Britain on the issue and launched a diplomatic note. America’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stressed that The Good Friday Agreement is the cornerstone for peace in Northern Ireland and the US doesn’t support any action that may endanger or damage the agreement. Even the signing of The New Atlantic Charter won’t resolve the issue at root.

其次,美英围绕国际地位问题矛盾凸显。拜登政府上台后,一直致力于强调“美国回来了,欧洲跟我走”。然而,英国对美英关系的期待是作为盟友,而并非附庸美方。拜登在出访英国前曾发表文章重申美英“特殊关系”,约翰逊表示不满,他提出,此说法会让英国看起来软弱。

For another, the two countries are not on the same page regarding their international position. After Biden came in office, he has kept emphasizing that “America is back, Europe should follow”, but Britain views its relationship with the US as alliance rather than a dependence. Before Biden’s visit to the UK, he published an article reiterating the special relationship between the two countries, with which Johnson was displeased because that, he said, would make his country look weak.

再次,美英围绕应对新冠肺炎疫情与国际责任相互推诿。《新大西洋宪章》宣称致力于应对新冠肺炎疫情下的诸多挑战,但从实际来看,美英两国均拒绝承担相应义务与责任。6月11日,七国集团领导人提出“分享新冠疫苗和建立更公平世界经济体系”,成员国承诺提供至少10亿剂新冠疫苗,其中包括美国5亿剂与英国1亿剂,但美英两国均拒绝采取实际行动。

Moreover, the two countries are passing the buck to each other on fighting COVID-19 and shouldering international responsibilities. The New Atlantic Charter claims to cope with the many challenges brought about by the pandemic, but the reality is that both the US and the UK refuse to fulfill their due obligations and responsibilities. On June 11, leaders of the G7 Group proposed to share COVID-19 vaccines and build a fairer world economic system, and the member states committed to providing at least one billion doses of vaccines, including 500 million doses from the US and 100 million from the UK, but both of them refused to take any concrete action.

《新大西洋宪章》的签署,表明美英两国将在未来全球治理与国际秩序构建上保持共同立场,但宪章的签署难以解决两国间存在的诸多矛盾与问题,未来美英关系仍将面临困难与挑战。

The New Atlantic Charter indicates that Washington and London will stand together on future global governance and the building of international order, but it cannot clear away the many conflicts and problems existing between the two countries, and the US-UK relationship is bound to encounter new difficulties and challenges.