风萧萧_Frank
以文会友
Rudd tells Biden he can ease US-China tensions
华盛顿 | 前总理兼澳大利亚新任驻美大使陆克文周三（澳大利亚东部标准时间周四）告诉乔·拜登总统，继堪培拉最近成功修复与中国的关系后，他希望在努力稳定美中关系方面发挥作用 北京。
陆克文先生在白宫椭圆形办公室向拜登先生递交了全权证书，他说他将与美国政府合作制定政策，以减少南海和该地区其他地区发生危机和冲突的风险。
“如果你每天、每周观察南海、台湾海峡、东海，我们担心通过飞机碰撞和船只碰撞意外引发危机和冲突的可能性，” 陆克文先生说。
“因此，在这种情况下，对我们所有人来说重要的是与我们在华盛顿的朋友和我们在北京的朋友合作，建立外交部长黄英贤所说的战略护栏。
“我[向总统]提到，我将与他的政府就中国政策问题进行合作。 这几乎是显而易见的陈述。”
他还表示，在过去多次批评这位前总统之后，他对唐纳德特朗普可能重新掌权并不担心。 特朗普先生正在寻求共和党提名，以便在 2024 年竞选白宫。
“按照历届澳大利亚大使的传统，我们与各方合作，”陆克文先生说。
“我有一大堆共和党朋友和一大堆民主党朋友，他们在外交政策、国家安全政策和经济领域工作。 所以，现在我非常有信心，这些关系不仅在继续，而且还在持续和加强。”
随着华盛顿及其西方盟友抵制中国在该地区的经济影响力和日益增强的军事自信，美中之间的紧张关系最近升级。 中国间谍气球在美国大陆上空坠落等事件加剧了两国关系的恶化。
陆克文说：“这很难做到，而且由于中国没有接电话而造成的困难程度，例如，在热气球 [事件] 的高峰期几天。”
在贸易部长 Don Farrell 与北京会面后，澳大利亚与中国的关系在今年年初开始解冻。
上周，中国证实愿意与阿尔巴尼亚政府合作解决葡萄酒和大麦出口的关税争端，为取消对澳大利亚价值 200 亿美元的贸易制裁铺平道路。
“美中关系目前的处境，只是，真的很困难。 老实说吧，”陆克文先生说。
“但美国的朋友和盟友以及那些与中国有长期伙伴关系的人的挑战和责任是与两国政府合作，看看我们能做些什么来帮助稳定美中关系，因为 出色地。
“总理和外交部长邀请我来这里的原因之一是应对我们所有人面临的挑战——中国崛起带来的挑战，以及与我们的盟友美国保持战略稳定的伙伴关系，同时 稳定我们与北京的关系。”
中国对 AUKUS 表示担忧——根据该军事情报共享安排，美国将向澳大利亚海军提供核动力潜艇，以保卫中国变得更具侵略性的水域。
陆克文表示，实施 AUKUS 将是他在华盛顿的首要任务之一，继续他的前任 Arthur Sinodinos 的工作。
他拒绝就鲁珀特默多克的福克斯公司本周以 7.875 亿美元（12 亿美元）与投票机制造商 Dominion 就诽谤诉讼达成和解一事发表评论。
“当我担任澳大利亚驻美国大使时，我放弃了默多克皇家委员会澳大利亚人主席的职位，”他说。
Mr Rudd, who presented his credentials to Mr Biden in the White House Oval Office, said he would work with the US administration on policy to reduce the risk of crisis and conflict in the South China Sea and the rest of the region.
“If you look day to day, week to week in the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, the East China Sea, we are worried about the possibility of crisis and conflict arising by accident, through collision of aircraft and collision of vessels,” Mr Rudd said.
“So under those circumstances, what is important for all of us is to work with our friends in DC, and our friends in Beijing on building what Foreign Minister Penny Wong calls strategic guardrails.
“I mentioned [to the President] that I’d be working with his administration on China policy questions. That’s almost a statement of the obvious.”
He also said he was unfazed by the possible return of Donald Trump to power, after repeatedly criticising the former president in the past. Mr Trump is seeking the Republican nomination to run for the White House in 2024.
“In the tradition of all previous Australian ambassadors, we work with all sides,” Mr Rudd said.
“I have bucket loads of Republican friends and bucket loads of Democratic friends, working in foreign policy, national security policy, and the economy. So, I’m pretty confident now those relationships have not only continued but have been sustained and strengthened.”
Tensions between the US and China have escalated recently as Washington and its Western allies push back against China’s economic influence and growing military assertiveness in the region. Deteriorating relations have been exacerbated by incidents such as the downing of a Chinese spy balloon over mainland America.
“It’s very hard to do, and it’s compounded by the degree of difficulty which arises from China not picking up the phone, for example, for several days during the height of the balloons [incident],” Mr Rudd said.
Australia’s own relationship with China started to thaw early this year after Trade Minister Don Farrell secured meetings with Beijing.
Last week China confirmed that it was willing to work with the Albanese government to resolve tariff disputes over both wine and barley exports, paving the way for the removal of $20 billion worth of trade sanctions against Australia.
“Where the US-China relationship stands at the moment, it’s just, it’s really difficult. Let’s be honest about it,” Mr Rudd said.
“But the challenge and responsibility of friends and allies of the United States, and those who have long-standing partnerships with China, is to work with both governments to see what we can do to assist in the stabilisation of the US-China relationship as well.
“One of the reasons the prime minister and foreign minister asked me to come here was to deal with the challenge we all face – the challenge presented by China’s rise and maintaining strategic stability in partnership with our ally the United States, while at the same time stabilising our relationship with Beijing.”
China has raised concerns about AUKUS – the military intelligence-sharing arrangement under which the US will provide nuclear-powered submarines to the Australia navy to defend waters where China has become more aggressive.
Mr Rudd said implementing AUKUS would be one of his top priorities in Washington, continuing the work of his predecessor Arthur Sinodinos.
He declined to comment on Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corporation settling a defamation lawsuit this week with voting machine maker Dominion for $US787.5 million ($1.2 billion).
“When I took on this position as ambassador for Australia to the United States, I relinquished my position as chair of Australians for a Murdoch Royal Commission,” he said.
