美國與菲律賓關係有好轉跡象

Relations between the United States and one of its oldest allies, the Philippines, show signs of returning to normal after a crisis in September when the president in Manila demanded Washington withdraw military support and talked of a deeper break in ties with the Western superpower.

美國與長期盟友菲律賓的關係出現好轉跡象。今年九月菲律賓總統杜特爾特提出，要求撤走美國駐軍，以及與美國疏遠等言論，導致兩國關係出現緊張。

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump congratulated Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in a call this month on his deadly campaign to squelch the drug trade. The government of U.S. President Barack Obama had angered Duterte, who took office in June, by criticizing the effort due to suspected extrajudicial killings.

美國當選總統川普這個月曾與菲律賓總統杜特爾特通電話，恭喜杜特爾特嚴打毒品運動獲得成功。由於打擊毒品行動被懷疑造成許多未經司法審判的處決，美國總統奧巴馬對此提出批評，激怒了6月份上任的杜特爾特總統。

Trump also invited Duterte to visit the White House, part of a chain of overtures to traditional U.S. allies in Asia, including Japan.

川普邀請杜特爾特訪問白宮。這是川普對包括日本在內的亞洲盟友做出的友好姿態之一。

In September, Duterte called Obama a dirty name, suggested scaling back economic ties and demanded that U.S. military personnel leave the country.

今年九月，杜特爾特用不雅的字眼形容奧巴馬總統，並且說要減少兩國經濟往來，要求美國撤出在菲律賓的駐軍。

Manila has been one of Washington’s chief Asian allies since the two sides signed a mutual defense treaty in 1951.

馬尼拉自1951年兩國簽署雙邊防務協定後一直是美國的重要盟友。