作者 2013年1月25日 AP News、1月24日中新社、The New York Times
中新社华盛顿1月24日电 (记者 吴庆才)美国参议院24日举行新一任国务卿提名听证会，即将接替希拉里·克林顿的候任国务卿克里在会上亮出了较为温和理性的“中国观”——将中国视为合作伙伴而非敌手，并公开反对在亚太增加驻军以免给人围堵中国的印象。克里的国务卿提名预计很快会获得确认，这是他就任前夕首次阐述未来四年对华政策的思路，其务实的“友华”言论料将为中美关系添利好。
在当天的听证会上，克里在回应议员质询时表示，自己将致力于加强与中国的关系，因为这对美国至关重要。
“我可以设想一种方式，让中国可以作为合作伙伴在全球诸多事务中发挥更重要的作用。”克里说：“我们在经济市场是竞争对手，但我们不应该将彼此视为敌手，而使我们在许多事情上丧失合作能力。”
克里表示，中国现在与美国在伊朗问题上进行合作，或许在朝鲜问题上、在远东地区也有进一步合作空间。他指出，中美在这些问题上取得一些进展，但也存在难度，而且没有任何神奇的方式能够轻而易举地促成合作。
“但是，如果我们能够更好地理解彼此的共同利益和共同目标，我们就可以一起努力达成这些目标，气候变化就是一个例子。”克里说。
对于有议员提及的增加在亚太驻军的问题，克里公开表示了反对的态度。他说：“我不相信增加驻军是至关重要的，如果你们确认我的提名，这将是我非常小心审视的事。”
他指出，美国在亚太地区的军事基地比世界上任何国家都要多。奥巴马总统不久前还向澳大利亚增派了海军陆战队。
克里对议员们说：“每一个行动都会带来反应。这不仅仅是物理定律，也是政治和外交的定律。我认为美国不得不对将来如何行动考虑更周全些。”
克里的这番言论颇令人诧异，因为重返亚太并加大对该地区的军事投入是奥巴马首个任期内力推的重大战略。为避免给人感觉他在中国崛起等问题上存在错误观念，克里也澄清说，他不是说对此不必小心警惕，也不是说要从目前的政策上撤退，只是应该思考采取这些行动的时候不要引发所不希望的反应。
克里在美国政坛一直被视为“知华派”甚至“亲华派”，历来主张对华接触，反对对华遏制。查阅其近30年参议员生涯在涉华提案上的投票记录就可以证实这一点，在鼓励和推动美中关系的议案上，他基本都投赞成票，对阻碍或限制中美关系发展的议案，他基本都投反对票。
上世纪90年代，美国国会几乎每年都要就是否给中国最惠国待遇进行投票表决，克里每次都投赞成票。2000年他又投票支持与中国建立永久正常贸易关系。对涉及制裁中国的议案他通常投反对票，例如2005年他曾对一项要求对华采取行动的汇率议案投了反对票。在涉及中美关系中最敏感的台湾问题上，他支持一个中国政策，反对“台独”。
克里在长期的政治生涯中多次访华，曾与中国几代领导人会面。有报道称，他谈中国，常常都从鸦片战争谈起，认为要了解中国现行的外交与安全政策，就必须要了解鸦片战争以来的历史，了解中国人被列强欺凌的过去，了解中国人希望恢复尊严的热望。
然而，也有分析人士认为，克里出任国务卿对中美关系固然是利好，但奥巴马政府在与中国打交道四年之后，其对华政策已基本成型，第二任期将会有延续性，不会因重大人事变动而会有太大变化，即使有变化，最终也会服从美国国家利益。
AP News :Kerry skeptical on need for more US forces in Asia
作者 2013年1月25日 AP News.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nominee to be America’s top diplomat said Thursday he supports deeper ties with China and is unconvinced the U.S. needs to ramp up its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
Sen. John Kerry was speaking at his confirmation hearing to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state.
The Obama administration has made a stronger presence in Asia a foreign policy priority. That’s been welcomed by nations in the region unnerved by China’s growing power and assertiveness, but has irked Beijing.
Kerry said it was critical to strengthen the U.S. relationship with China, as the administration has sought to do.
He said it would be a “tough slog” given the significant differences between Washington and Beijing, including on economic issues such as market access and currency value, but he hoped to work with closer with China’s new leaders on a broad range of issues including North Korea and climate change.
“My hope is that (Communist Party leader) Xi Jinping and the new administration will recognize also the need to sort of broaden the relationship with us,” he said.
Kerry was asked how the U.S. could ramp up its military presence without becoming sucked into territorial disputes between China and its Asian neighbors that have heightened tensions in East Asia. His response sounded like a departure from the policy of an administration that has sought to devote more military attention to the region, as the U.S. disengages from a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“I’m not convinced that increased military ramp-up is critical yet,” Kerry said. “That’s something I’d want to look at very carefully.”
“We have a lot more forces out there than any other (nation) in the world including China, today,” he said, noting the president’s additional deployment of Marines to Australia over the past year.
“You know, the Chinese look at that and say, ‘What’s the United States doing? They trying to circle us? What’s going on?’” Kerry said.
However, Kerry added that vigilance over China’s intentions was still required and he was not suggesting retreating from “current levels.”
Kerry’s nomination to become secretary of state has bipartisan support and he appears almost certain to be confirmed. He is a three-decade veteran of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and has served as its chair for the past four years.
The New York Times：Kerry Links Economics to Foreign Policy
作者 2013年1月24日 The New York Times
WASHINGTON — Senator John Kerry said at his confirmation hearing for the post of secretary of state on Thursday that the top priority of the United States should be getting its fiscal house in order.
“Foreign policy is economic policy,” he said. “It is urgent that we show people in the rest of the world that we can get our business done in an effective and timely way.”
A day after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton jousted with Republican members of the panel, Mr. Kerry received a generally friendly reception from the committee he led for the past four years.
Senator John McCain, a fellow Vietnam veteran who has been sharply critical of the Obama administration’s handling of the September attack in Benghazi and of its policy on Syria, endorsed Mr. Kerry before he began to testify.
In a nearly four-hour hearing, Mr. Kerry displayed his familiarity with a broad range of issues but presented no new ideas on how to make headway on the vexing foreign policy problems that he will inherit if he is confirmed, as expected.
On Iran, Mr. Kerry said that he was committed to seeking a diplomatic solution over Iran’s nuclear program, while alluding to the option to use military force if a negotiated solution could not be reached.
“Our policy is not containment,” he said. “It is prevention, and the clock is ticking.”
On Syria, Mr. Kerry defended his effort to engage President Bashar al-Assad of Syria during the early months of the Obama administration, asserting that Syria’s growing population gave it a reason to seek better ties with the United States.
“He wanted to try to find some way to reach out to the West and see if there was some kind of an accommodation,” Mr. Kerry said of Mr. Assad. “History caught up to us.”
Mr. Kerry said that he thought Mr. Assad would not survive as Syria’s leader much longer. “The time is ticking,” he said.
That did not satisfy Mr. McCain, who noted that the number of refugees was growing and urged that the United States provide arms to the rebels.
“We’ve had a lot of hearings; we haven’t done anything,” Mr. McCain said.
“I have complete understanding of where you are coming from on this,” Mr. Kerry responded, adding that the best outcome would “find some track to change the calculation of Assad.”
Rattling off a long list of factors that made such an outcome difficult to achieve, he said he wanted to have a broader dialogue with the Congress on policy options. “We’re going to have to get our heads together, regardless of party,” Mr. Kerry said, “and figure out how we come up with an equation that is workable and meets those interests.”
On arms control, Mr. Kerry made clear that he thought the proposal to eliminate allnuclear weapons was a “goal” that could take centuries to achieve and that the United States had no choice but to rely on nuclear deterrence in the meantime.
On Russia, Mr. Kerry acknowledged that relations had “slid backwards a little bit in the last couple of years,” but said he would try to make progress.
On Pakistan, Mr. Kerry said he had talked to Pakistani leaders about the Pakistani doctor who has been imprisoned for assisting the C.I.A.’s effort to track Osama bin Laden.
“That bothers every American,” said Mr. Kerry, who said that he was nonetheless opposed to cutting aid. “We need to build our relationship with the Pakistanis, not diminish it,” he said.
Mr. Kerry would be the first member of the committee to directly ascend to the job of secretary of state since John Sherman served beginning in 1897 under President William McKinley.
To avoid the perception of a conflict of interest, Mr. Kerry did not serve as chairman of the Wednesday hearing at which Mrs. Clinton testified on Benghazi or even attend the session. Mrs. Clinton returned to the committee today to introduce her designated successor.
“John is the right choice,” Mrs. Clinton said. “He has been a valued partner to this administration and to me personally.”
As the proceedings continued, Senator Marco Rubio, the Florida Republican who is believed to be nursing presidential ambitions, argued for a strong American role in world affairs and complained that Mr. Obama’s foreign policy was unclear.
But Mr. McCain, who recalled Mr. Kerry’s role in encouraging the normalization of relations with Vietnam, warmly praised the nominee. “Senator Kerry and I spent some time, at the Navy’s behest, in a certain Southeast Asian country,” Mr. McCain noted.
The episode that appeared to most capture the mood, however, came when Senator Robert Menendez, the New Jersey Democrat who led the hearing, mistakenly referred to Mr. Kerry as “Mr. Secretary.”
At that point, Mr. Kerry jokingly rose as if he was preparing to leave. “I thought this could be quick,” he said, before sitting down to resume answering questions.
