International Relations Essay范文:ASEAN Relationships with China and the US

International Relations Essay范文-东盟与中国和美国的关系.本文是一篇留学生国际关系作业写作范文，主要内容是讲述东南亚可以说是世界上最有希望的地区，因为那里的人口数量、经济增长前景和战略重要性。尽管该地区已经变得越来越重要，但关于它在世界上的地位，还有一个问题需要回答，那就是该地区是否将与世界两个超级大国之一，中国或美国结盟。             
International Relations Essay范文中提到20世纪，东南亚成为美国和苏联之间的众多战场之一，但中国从未完全脱离背景，其重要性在本世纪末有所增加。如今，这两个国家都对该地区的国家有着强大的影响力，越来越明显的是，谁对世界这一地区拥有最大的控制权和联系，谁也可能成为世界上最大的超级大国。下面就一起来参考这篇留学生国际关系作业写作范文。

Introduction 引言
Southeast Asia is the region that, arguably, has become the most promising around the world, due to the number of people living there, its prospected economic growth and its strategic importance. Although the region has become increasingly important, one question remains to be answered regarding the place it has in the world, and that is if the region is going to align with either of the two superpowers of the world, China or the United States.
In the 20th century, Southeast Asia became one of the many battlegrounds between the United States and the Soviet Union, but China was never entirely out of the background, and its prominence increased at the end of the century. Nowadays, both of these countries have a strong influence over the states of the region, and it is becoming more and more clear that whoever has the most control and ties to this part of the world, may become as well the biggest superpower of the world.
However, regardless of the outside influence on the region, Southeast Asia by itself must decide which are their most important alliances for the mid and long term, while the region continues to grow. It is not an easy task, as there is a complicated history with either of these countries, as well as new variables thrown into the mix in more recent years, and even months, that will define the standing of Southeast Asia, today and in the near future.
然而，不管外界对该地区的影响如何，在该地区继续增长的同时，东南亚必须自行决定其中长期最重要的联盟。这不是一项容易的任务，因为这两个国家都有着复杂的历史，而且在最近几年，甚至几个月里，新的变量都会加入到混合中，这将决定东南亚在今天和不久的将来的地位。
History 历史
It is impossible to talk about the history of the region without discussing the influence the Cold War had on these countries. Although the influence of the Soviet Union and the United States could be seen in all of them, it was most evident in the wars fought in Cambodia and Vietnam, where both of these superpowers supported one faction and pitted them against each other. It is important to understand the history of the region and the close ties they developed among themselves later on, because they served as the killing ground for the Cold War. The status of the countries of Southeast Asia as poor and geographically far from the US and the USSR, made them apt for the war to develop, instead of other parts of the world, like Europe or the Americas. (Kissinger 1994; Lewis Gaddis 1998).
如果不讨论冷战对这些国家的影响，就不可能谈论该地区的历史。虽然苏联和美国的影响在所有这些国家中都可以看到，但最明显的是在柬埔寨和越南的战争中，这两个超级大国都支持一个派别，并相互对立。重要的是要了解该地区的历史以及它们后来发展起来的密切关系，因为它们是冷战的杀戮场。东南亚国家的贫困状况以及地理位置远离美国和苏联，使得它们更容易在战争中发展，而不是像欧洲或美洲这样的世界其他地区。
One of the most important landmarks when talking about the region, is the creation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), that started with five countries but that now encompasses all nations of Southeast Asia, with the exception of East Timor and Papua New Guinea. Once again, ASEAN also exemplified the Cold War dynamic, as it was created “to encourage economic and cultural cooperation among these non-Communist states”(Ricklefs 2012: 339). Even so, this organization also helped to lower the influence of both the Soviet Union and the United States in the region: “The ASEAN nations were seeking regional cooperation and stability in part as a way to counted great-power influence in the region.” (Ricklefs 2012: 339)
在谈论该地区时，最重要的里程碑之一是建立东南亚国家联盟（东盟），该联盟从五个国家开始，但现在包括东南亚所有国家，东帝汶和巴布亚新几内亚除外。东盟再一次证明了冷战的动态，因为它是“为了鼓励这些非共产主义国家之间的经济和文化合作”。即便如此，该组织也有助于降低苏联和美国在该地区的影响力：“东盟国家寻求区域合作和稳定，部分是为了计算该地区的大国影响力。”
Regarding China, one of the points of contention for the historical relationship between China and the region, is their shared waters, mainly the South China Sea, precisely because “Southeast Asia lies at the intersection of two of the world’s most heavily traveled sea-lanes. The east-west route connects the Indian and Pacific Oceans, while the north-south one links Australia and New Zealand to Northeast Asia.” (Sokolsky 2001: 10) The great importance of this trade route has caused tension among the country and the region, and it still is one of the main reasons the relationship is not as good as it could be.
关于中国，中国与该地区历史关系的争论点之一是两国共有水域，主要是南中国海，正是因为“东南亚位于世界上两条最繁忙的海上航线的交汇处。东西航线连接印度洋和太平洋，而南北航线连接澳大利亚和新西兰与东北亚。”，这仍然是两国关系没有达到应有水平的主要原因之一。
Another sore point in the history between China and the region, was the war with Vietnam, that supposedly started as a punishment from China to the ASEAN country. But, this view has been challenged by the analysis of some historians, that now claim that “China’s decision to launch a punitive war against Vietnam was intended to display Beijing’s usefulness in countering Soviet expansionism”(Zhang 2010: 28-29). This would mean that once again Cold War politics dominated the modern history of the region, and even its relationship with China, that due to internal turmoil mostly stayed in the sidelines during this period, and did not engage with other countries as closely as it would later on.
中国与该地区历史上的另一个痛处是与越南的战争，这场战争最初被认为是中国对东盟国家的惩罚。但是，这一观点受到了一些历史学家的分析的挑战，他们现在声称“中国决定对越南发动惩罚性战争，是为了显示北京在对抗苏联扩张主义方面的作用”。这将意味着，冷战政治再次主导了该地区的现代历史，甚至主导了其与中国的关系，而在这一时期，由于内部动乱，该地区大多处于局外状态，与其他国家的关系没有像后来那样密切。
These lines are not supposed to be an extensive history of the region, but just a small sample of what has happened between the ASEAN nations, China and the United States, which has certainly shaped current relations. The history of the region helps as well to understand the current sentiment among the countries, that are striving for a closer cooperation between them, before looking into starting deeper ties with other countries, a product of the series of events in the 20th century that affected this part of the world, in a different way than others, but arguably in more harmful ways.
这些界线不应该是该地区的广泛历史，而只是东盟国家、中国和美国之间发生的事情的一个小样本，这无疑塑造了当前的关系。该地区的历史也有助于理解目前各国之间的情绪，这些国家正在努力加强彼此之间的合作，然后才开始与其他国家建立更深入的联系，这是20世纪影响世界这一地区的一系列事件的产物，其方式与其他国家不同，但可以说是更有害的方式。       
Current relations 当前关系
Now, it is important to look at the current trends of the region in relation to both of the countries being looked at. Although it would seem that the current political climate should not matter in the grand context of things, the uncertainty of current relations between the region and these nations have to be taken into account, particularly because of the new and impossible to decipher power that has been thrown into the mix, Donald Trump.
现在，重要的是要看看该地区目前与所研究的两个国家有关的趋势。尽管目前的政治气候似乎在大背景下并不重要，但必须考虑到该地区与这些国家之间当前关系的不确定性，尤其是因为唐纳德·特朗普这一新的、不可能解读的力量被抛入了混合体中。
The upset by the former Republican candidate and now sitting president of the United States, was a major surprise home and abroad, and changed the course of the relationship between Southeast Asia and his country. One of the biggest selling points for Trump when he was campaigning in his home country was his supposed opposition to globalism, that is the global influence of the world in domestic policy, and he swore he was going to put his country above everything else, with a series of policies aptly named America First.
这位前共和党候选人、现任美国总统的不满，在国内外都是一个重大惊喜，并改变了东南亚与他的国家之间的关系。特朗普在竞选时，最大的卖点之一是他所谓的反对全球化，即世界在国内政策中的全球影响力，他发誓要把他的国家放在一切之上，并制定了一系列被恰当命名为“美国第一”的政策。
Indeed, president Trump has already shown what his foreign policy might be, by withdrawing the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), that has rendered it mostly useless now. To understand the magnitude of Trump’s move, and its significance for the relationship between the US and Southeast Asia, first it is important to define what was the TPP. The TPP was a trade deal between 12 countries that have a border with the Pacific Ocean, that together represent around 40% of the world’s economies. More importantly, the pact “aimed to deepen economic ties between these nations, slashing tariffs and fostering trade to boost growth. Members had also hoped to foster a closer relationship on economic policies and regulation.” (BBC 2017)
事实上，特朗普总统通过将美国退出跨太平洋伙伴关系（TPP），已经表明了他的外交政策可能是什么，这使得现在的TPP几乎毫无用处。为了了解特朗普此举的规模及其对美国与东南亚关系的意义，首先必须界定什么是TPP。TPP是12个与太平洋接壤的国家之间的贸易协议，总共代表了世界经济的40%左右。更重要的是，该协议“旨在加深这些国家之间的经济联系，削减关税，促进贸易以促进增长。成员国还希望在经济政策和监管方面建立更紧密的关系。”
On top of that, Trump is still a mystery regarding his policies, because he does not seem to have a clear position on anything, which has caused some troubles and has cast a shadow in the future of the relationship between his country and the region. In fact, today is a reality that the region as whole is now going to prioritize the creation of a trade pact that is focused in Asia, along with other big countries in the continent, like Japan, India and of course China.
除此之外，特朗普的政策仍然是一个谜，因为他似乎对任何事情都没有明确的立场，这已经造成了一些麻烦，并给他的国家和地区关系的未来蒙上了阴影。事实上，今天的现实是，整个地区现在将优先制定一项以亚洲为重点的贸易协定，以及该大陆的其他大国，如日本、印度，当然还有中国。       
This trade deal has been named the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), in place of the now dead TPP, and that could strengthen the position of China in the region over the US. Even so, this does not mean that the region would not like to have a strong relationship with the country, but that is not a big priority, according to Philippine Trade Minister Ramon Lopez: “Everybody would of course like to have a greater economic relationship with the US, they are a big country, one of the biggest consumers as well, but it may not rank high in the ASEAN agenda.” (Reuters 2017)
这项贸易协议被命名为区域综合经济伙伴关系（RCEP），以取代目前已不复存在的TPP，这将加强中国在该地区相对于美国的地位。尽管如此，这并不意味着该地区不想与该国建立牢固的关系，但根据菲律宾贸易部长拉蒙·洛佩斯的说法，这并不是一个重要的优先事项：“当然，每个人都希望与美国建立更大的经济关系，他们是一个大国，也是最大的消费者之一，但在东盟议程中可能排名不高。“
In contrast to Trump’s rhetoric and apparent protectionism, China has taken the opposite route and is seeking to expand its influence over Southeast Asia, both in economic terms but also in cultural ones. This is very important, because other than the RCEP, which does feature China and would boost trade with the ASEAN countries, there is also a push for more direct investment both by the government and the private sector, that are eyeing the region as a prime candidate for more involvement.
与特朗普的言辞和明显的保护主义形成对比的是，中国采取了相反的路线，正在寻求扩大其在东南亚的影响力，无论是在经济方面还是在文化方面。这一点非常重要，因为除了以中国为特色并将促进与东盟国家贸易的RCEP之外，政府和私营部门也在推动更多的直接投资，它们将该地区视为更多参与的主要候选地区。       
Certainly, China has already become the top trading partner for a large number of the ASEAN countries, and the number of these nations that want to deepen their bilateral ties with China is also growing, like Malaysia and the Philippines, that signaled that want to align themselves more closely with China, for example on a recent visit to Beijing, where “President Rodrigo Duterte said he wants to cut the cord with the U.S., a key military ally, and pivot to China. During a trip to Beijing in November, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak signed about $30 billion worth of deals from energy to rail infrastructure.” (Roman 2016)
当然，中国已经成为许多东盟国家的首要贸易伙伴，这些希望深化与中国双边关系的国家也在不断增加，如马来西亚和菲律宾，这表明希望与中国更紧密地结盟，例如最近访问北京时，其中“总统罗德里戈·杜特尔特（Rodrigo Duterte）表示，他希望切断与美国这一重要军事盟友的联系，并转向中国。在11月访问北京期间，马来西亚总理纳吉布·拉扎克（Najib Razak）签署了价值约300亿美元的协议，从能源到铁路基础设施。”
Another avenue that shows the tightening of the relationship between ASEAN nations and China is tourism, because every day more and more Chinese tourists are going to those countries. Along with the growth of Chinese tourism in general, the region is receiving more visitors and the impact it has on the local economies is becoming very large as well, as the estimate shows that a “30 percent increase in spending by Chinese tourists would boost Thailand’s GDP by about 1.6 percentage points, and Vietnam’s by almost 1 point.” (Roman 2016)
另一个表明东盟国家与中国关系日益密切的途径是旅游业，因为每天都有越来越多的中国游客前往这些国家。随着中国旅游业的总体增长，该地区接待的游客越来越多，对当地经济的影响也越来越大，据估计，“中国游客支出增加30%，将使泰国的GDP增长约1.6个百分点，越南的GDP增长近1个百分点”
However, not everything is easy and straightforward in the bilateral relationship between ASEAN countries and China, because as it has been mentioned before, the tensions regarding the South China Sea are far from over. The importance of this commercial route makes it a vital asset for any country that wants to trade on this part of the world, and even more so for the countries that have competing claims on this sea, that are: China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
然而，在东盟国家与中国的双边关系中，并非所有事情都是简单明了的，因为正如前面提到的那样，南中国海的紧张局势远未结束。这条商业路线的重要性使其成为任何想要在世界这一地区进行贸易的国家的重要资产，对于在这一海域拥有竞争权利的国家来说，更是如此，这些国家包括：中国、越南、菲律宾、台湾、马来西亚和文莱。
As recently as 2012 and 2013, both the Philippines and Vietnam have engaged negatively with China regarding the South China Sea, that have led to further tensions among these countries. Manila even got to the point of “taking China to a UN tribunal under the auspices of the UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea, to challenge its claims.” (BBC 2016) In this case, China has boycotted any proceedings of a tribunal that backed the Philippines claims, and has stated they will not be bound by the resolution.
就在2012年和2013年，菲律宾和越南就南中国海问题与中国进行了负面接触，导致两国之间的紧张局势进一步加剧。马尼拉甚至达到了“将中国带到《联合国海洋法公约》主持下的联合国法庭，对其主张提出质疑”的地步。（BBC 2016）在此案中，中国抵制了支持菲律宾主张的法庭的任何诉讼程序，并表示他们将不受该决议的约束。
Conclusions 结论
After having looked at the history and the more recent developments of the relationships that ASEAN countries have with both China and the United States, a conclusion must be made, who would benefit these countries more as a close ally? It is hard to say in the long term, because it is a very complex matter, but at the moment China is a better option for the region. This is not a conclusion that has been reached lightly, as it involves rethinking everything about the region and its history, but at the moment it would seem like the wisest choice.
在研究了东盟国家与中国和美国的关系的历史和最近的发展之后，必须得出结论：作为亲密盟友，谁会给这些国家带来更多利益？从长远来看很难说，因为这是一个非常复杂的问题，但目前中国对该地区来说是一个更好的选择。这并不是一个轻而易举的结论，因为它涉及到对该地区及其历史的一切重新思考，但目前看来，这似乎是最明智的选择。
The main reason that China is now a better option for Southeast Asia is not only for its geographical proximity to the region, but because it is showing interest in investing in these countries, both the government and the Chinese private sector. Direct investment is one of the best ways to get involved with a foreign country, as it also boosts the economy and makes it an even more attractive place for future investments. Tourism from Chinese nationals is also another important reason to have closer ties with that country, despite the tensions in the South China Sea that can dampen relations, but if solved, could mean a strategical step towards closer and stronger ties.
中国现在是东南亚更好的选择，主要原因不仅是因为其地理位置接近该地区，还因为它对投资这些国家，包括政府和中国私营部门表现出兴趣。直接投资是与外国交往的最佳方式之一，因为它还可以促进经济发展，使其成为未来投资的更具吸引力的地方。中国公民的旅游业也是与该国建立更紧密关系的另一个重要原因，尽管南中国海的紧张局势可能会削弱两国关系，但如果解决了这一问题，可能意味着朝着建立更紧密和更牢固的关系迈出了战略一步。
To reach this conclusion, Donald Trump also played a big part in why the United States might not be a great option. When the world seemed to be moving towards more open borders and increased trade, the victory of Trump in the presidential election changed the outlook of almost every part of the link between his country and ASEAN nations. Even if his protectionist rhetoric is ignored, the instability and uncertainty Trump brings to the table, is reason enough for not choosing closer ties to the US, because the terms of said ties could change at any time at the whim of the president, something no nation can afford, even less the ones in Southeast Asia that are still consolidating themselves.
为了得出这个结论，唐纳德·特朗普（Donald Trump）也在解释为什么美国可能不是一个好的选择方面发挥了重要作用。当世界似乎正朝着更加开放的边界和增加贸易的方向发展时，特朗普在总统选举中的胜利改变了他的国家与东盟国家之间几乎所有联系的前景。即使他的保护主义言论被忽视，特朗普带来的不稳定和不确定性也足以成为不选择与美国建立更紧密关系的理由，因为上述关系的条款可能会在总统一时兴起的任何时候发生变化，这是任何国家都无法承受的，更不用说那些仍在巩固自身的东南亚国家了。
The analysis presented here it is not meant to be definitory, as the complexities of the subject are so large, that it could change at any time. Nonetheless, an effort has been made into trying to clarify the issue at hand for Southeast Asia, that is at a crossroads and has to decide which way to go, with the familiar but now unpredictable United States, or with the new superpower China, that historically has been more an enemy than an ally. The outcome of that decision will affect millions of lives, one can only hope it will be taken with caution.
这篇International Relations Essay的分析并不是明确的，因为主题的复杂性如此之大，以至于随时都可能发生变化。尽管如此，东南亚正处于十字路口，必须努力澄清当前的问题，必须决定走哪条路，与熟悉但现在不可预测的美国，还是与新超级大国中国，历史上，中国更多的是敌人而不是盟友。这一决定的结果将影响数百万人的生命，人们只能希望谨慎对待。本站提供各国各专业essay代写或指导服务，如有需要可咨询本平台。