美国在东南亚的城市外交:实践路径与动因分析

U.S.City Diplomacy in Southeast Asia:An Analysis of Practice Pathways and Motivations

自1961年美国与东南亚国家建立友城关系以来,美国始终借助官方和非官方渠道维护和扩大在东南亚的城市外交关系。从“冷战”时期开始,除了城市政府之间的友城关系逐渐增多之外,发展日益成熟的跨国城市网络和专业性的城市国际组织,成为美国在东南亚城市外交倚靠的重点。延续半个多世纪的城市外交背后,是美国的政治战略考量,是经济利益和自由主义价值观综合作用的结果。同时,它还顺应了世界政治从民族国家向次国家政府行为体和非政府行为体的“权力流散”趋势。“国之交在于民相亲,民相亲在于心相通”,美国在东南亚国家的城市外交或许可以为中国的外交带来一些启示。

The United States has maintained and expanded city diplomacy in Southeast Asia through official and unofficial channels since 1961,when it established sister city relationships with Southeast Asian countries.Since the Cold War,besides the growing number of sister city relationships,the development of increasingly sophisticated transnational city networks and specialized city international organizations have been the focus of U.S.city diplomacy in Southeast Asia.Underlying the more than half-century of urban diplomacy is a combination of U.S.political strategic considerations,economic interests,and liberal values,as well as a response to the trend of“power decentralization”in world politics from nation-states to sub-governmental and non-governmental actors.The friendship of nations lies in the people’s affinity for each other,and the people’s affinity for each other lies in mutual understanding.The U.S.city diplomacy in Southeast Asian countries may shed some light on China.