澳大利亚明显支持日本的举动令人费解

信源：日本《外交学者》

澳大利亚总理茱莉亚?吉拉德(Julia Gillard)在临近大选前成功访华，与中国签下价值近1300亿美元的贸易合约。不过，她最具远见的预期目标----联合中国举行中澳美三方军演，尚未取得成功。

中澳贸易合约的签订赢得了澳大利亚政治家和评论员一致好评，澳大利亚前任总理马尔科姆?弗雷泽和现任反对党领袖托尼?艾伯特?也均对吉拉德总理此表示赞许。“这是吉拉德总理一个极为卓越的贡献。抛开政治来谈，她所签署的这项合作值得我们为她竖起大拇指。”评论说。

在中澳军事对话中，吉拉德总理表示，未来将与中国展开在政策水平上的军事对话，以建立中澳的军事互信，促进对彼此的信心和增强彼此军事透明。

不过，她最具有远见的目标----与美国一起联合中国进行军演，在这次访华中尚未取得成功。美国太平洋司令部司令蒂姆西?基廷与澳大利亚国防军司令安格斯?休斯敦都曾在09年做过类似探索和尝试。

吉拉德总理提出了一个关于中澳美军事关系的具体目标，即“随着时间的推移，我们希望将其(中澳军演)扩大包括美国在内的三边联合军演”。

澳国防部也表示，将通过低调谈判的方式继续朝此目标迈进。更重要的是，在本年度9月大选后，当任的总理应该把三边军演当成一个2014年前达成的短期目标。

据悉，前美国国防部部长莱昂?帕内塔已邀请一艘澳大利亚战舰到夏威夷参加2014的环太平洋联合军事演习(RIMPAC)，中国将作为观察员参与。

评论最后总结称，虽然中澳关系取得进展，但双方政府的战略态度依然模糊。比如澳大利亚在4月26日还派遣了一艘导弹护卫舰加入美国驻扎在日本的第七舰队。在这样的特殊时间段内，这件事显得寓意深刻。此举展示了澳大利亚打算和韩国、日本统一战线。而在中日钓鱼岛争端态势严峻的情况下，澳大利亚这样明显的支持日本的举动实在令人费解。

Australia to deploy warship to join US fleet in Japan

Australia will deploy a guided- missile frigate, HMAS Sydney, to join the U.S. 7th Fleet in Japan at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula and in the South China Sea, according to The Australian on Friday.

The Australian said the warship will be "embedded" with a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group operating out of Yokosuka, but the Department of Defense didn't confirm the news so far.

HMAS Sydney is an Adelaide-class guided-missile frigate launched in 1980. It was sent to the Persian Gulf five times in support of U.S. operations during the Gulf War, in Afghanistan and Iraq.

According to the report, this mission has been long-planned to increase Australian Navy's experience at providing air defense for a fleet, in preparation for the arrival of the Navy's two massive landing ships and three air warfare destroyers.

"Australia has made it clear we stand shoulder to shoulder with the Republic of Korea, also with Japan," the report quoted Defense Minister Stephen Smith as saying.

And Peter Jennings, a former senior Defense official who now heads the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank, said the deployment was significant. "It does reflect a return to the type of co-operation that used to happen in the 1980s and 90s when we exercised more frequently with the Americans."