中評社新加坡6月5日電（記者 臧涵）美國國防部長馬蒂斯在第十六屆香格里拉對話會上首秀，闡述美國亞太安全政策。英文演講全文以及發言后問答如下：
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, Excellencies and fellow ministers. Thank you John and thank you to IISS.
It’s a privilege to be here at this excellent conference in Singapore and to be in the company of so many senior defense officials from within and outside this region. Shangri La provides one of the finest opportunities available anywhere to broaden my perspective.
Prime Minister Lee, Minister of Defense Ng, thank you for your hospitality and for your characteristically keen insights into the strategic currents of this dynamic region.
Ladies and gentlemen, my primary reason for being here is to listen. My goal is to walk away with a more rigorous grasp of the challenges we face so we can jointly craft solutions.
Five US states, including my home state of Washington, have Pacific Ocean shorelines. The United States is a Pacific nation in both geography and outlook.
And recent trips by secretary of state tillerson and vice president pence, the American administration is demonstrating the priority we place on our relationships in the Asia-pacific region.
Specifically, in Vice President Pence’s words during his trip to South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and Australia, we have affirmed the United States’ “enduring commitment to the security and prosperity of the region.”
That enduring commitment is based on strategic interests and on shared values of free people, free markets, and a strong and vibrant economic partnership…a partnership open to all nations, regardless of their size, their populations, the number of ships in their navies, or any other qualifier.
America’s engagement is also based on strong military partnerships, robust investment and trade relationships, and close ties between the peoples of our countries; ultimately, we all share this mighty Pacific Ocean, an ocean named for peace.
We are proud so many young people from pacific nations choose to come to American universities to study. And we appreciate that many of our students attend universities in your countries because they return home enriched by your cultures.
These people-to-people ties highlight the depth and breadth of America’s relationships with Asia-pacific nations, and the importance of the US role in the pacific.
This morning I will focus on two subject areas, leaving time for questions. The first area is America’s view of the region’s key security challenges. The second is the approach we are taking alongside Asia-pacific allies and partners to address those challenges.
I note up front that in the security arena, we have a deep and abiding commitment to reinforcing the rules-based international order, a product of so many nations’ efforts to create stability. These efforts grew out of lessons learned the hard way, from economic depression and catastrophic wars.
The international order was not imposed on other nations; rather, the order is based on principles that were embraced by nations trying to create a better world and restore hope to all.
Those principles have stood the test of time, like equal respect for international law, regardless of a nation’s size or wealth; and freedom of navigation and overflight, including keeping shipping lanes open, for all nations’ commercial benefit.
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