中新网评：美国众议长选举“连续剧”暴露美式民主痼疾******
中新网北京1月9日电(蒋鲤)在15轮投票表决后，美国众议院议长选举这场“连续剧”终于落下帷幕，众议院共和党领袖凯文·麦卡锡最终成功当选第55任美国众议院议长。这是美国国会过去164年来耗时最久的一次议长选举记录，将美国“对抗式民主”的弊端暴露无遗。
资料图：美国众议院共和党领袖麦卡锡。中新社记者 沙晗汀摄
由于两党对立加剧、党派内斗、利益分配不均等因素，众议长选举陷入一场拉锯战。在此次众议长竞选中，美国民主党议员继续抱团，多轮投票中，一票不投麦卡锡，共和党右翼“强硬派”领头的约20人小团体也拒绝投票麦卡锡。
麦卡锡的当选之路一波三折，除了本人的“政治投机派”角色在国会不受欢迎外，与共和党内部政治分歧关系密切。
一方面，共和党党内反对者认为，麦卡锡对民主党态度过于软弱，无力对抗民主党控制的参议院和拜登政府，另一方面，因为共和党的多数优势微弱，党内一些影响力较小的派系的政治力量则被放大，有利于他们巩固自己的选票。
此外，党内反对者也认为，自己的选票没有换取更多利益，希望以此作为筹码换取麦卡锡更大的让步，比如让他们获得众议院重要委员会中的职务。
作为仅次于美国总统、副总统的政坛三号人物，众议院议长通常由众议院多数党领袖担任，选举几乎没有悬念。然而，麦卡锡此次为当选，不得不做出多个关键让步，其中可能包括恢复一项罢黜议长动议机制，使得众议长的权力被削弱，难以掌控众议院。
美国有线电视新闻网CNN称，麦卡锡在这场不合时宜的政治勒索中作出让步，这种绥靖政策只会让极端主义势力更加强大。
这场引发全世界围观的尴尬选举暴露出美国政治存在严重的对立和分化。在权力博弈思维的裹挟下，党派利益凌驾于国家和人民利益之上，美国两党相互拆台，陷入“为反对而反对”的无脑对垒。而即便是一党内，也会因为利益分配问题产生不同的小派系，相互对抗，选票变成了谋利益的工具。
从国会山骚乱到打破记历史记录的15轮众议长选举，“对抗式民主”让美国政治陷入瓶颈，长期对抗势必会让政客们丧失客观公正的判断能力，其政治阶层是否有能力治理国家也会引发质疑。
两党之争和党派内斗进一步放大了美国政治体制弊病，美国所谓的“民主”形象，让全世界大跌眼镜。鼓吹以选民利益为先的美式选举，变成了政客们利益置换的游戏，进一步彰显出美国“民主政治”日渐失能，不断极化的党争已使美国政治制度陷入死循环。
House speaker election reveals deep-rooted problems in U.S. democracy
(ECNS) -- The Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected as the 55th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after 15 ballots. As the most grueling House speaker election in the past 164 years, the election has highlighted the defects of the country’s "confrontational democracy".
The election once reached a stalemate due to intense partisan strife, inner-party struggle among the Republicans, uneven distribution of interests, and more. Democratic Party members forged a close alliance, refusing to vote for McCarthy, while about 20 Republicans also declined to cast ballots for the GOP leader.
Except for his unpopular role as a "political speculator" in Congress, McCarthy’s hard-won election can be attributed to turmoil within the Republican Party.
On the one hand, opponents in the Republican Party believe that the GOP leader's attitude toward the Democrats is too weak to confront the Senate controlled by Democrats and the Biden administration.
On the other hand, the political power of some less influential factions in the Republican Party has been amplified due to the Party’s weak majority advantage in the House of Representatives, which is conducive to consolidating their ticket warehouses.
Meanwhile, these opponents believe that their votes failed to win them more benefits, hoping to use this as a bargaining chip for McCarthy's further concessions, such as getting them positions in important House Committees.
As the third political figure after the President and Vice President of the U.S., the speaker, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
But McCarthy has made many concessions in order to bring the ultra conservatives along, involving what’s known as the “motion to vacate,” a mechanism by which members can force a vote to depose the speaker. The reported concessions will empower individual members at the expense of McCarthy’s sway as speaker.
CNN thought the concessions he made during this unseemly political shakedown would only make the extremist faction more powerful.
This embarrassing election, which has drawn global attention, exposed the serious opposition and polarization in American politics. Both Democrats and Republicans put their interests before that of the country and its people, attacking and opposing each other irrationally.
Besides, different factions arise within a single party and confront each other because of the distribution of interests. Votes have become a tool to win more benefits.
From Capitol riots to the House Speaker election with record-breaking ballots, "confrontational democracy" has become a bottleneck of American politics. Long-term confrontation will surely impede politicians to think objectively and fairly while their capacity of governing the country will also raise doubts among the public.
Both parties’ struggle and infighting among the Republicans have further amplified the defects of the American political system, with its "democratic" image shocking the world.
The U.S.-style election, which advocates putting voters' interests first, has become a game of interest exchange among politicians. In addition, it further demonstrates the malfunction of American "democratic politics" and the constantly polarized party struggle that has trapped the American political system into an infinite cycle.
RCEP生效一周年 政协委员建议打造福建东盟产业连通器******
中新社福州1月12日电 (记者 闫旭)在12日于福州继续举行的福建省政协十三届一次会议上，福建省政协委员、厦门大学国际关系学院/南洋研究院教授吴崇伯建议，推动境外经贸合作区建设，打造福建东盟产业连通器。
时值《区域全面经济伙伴关系协定》(RCEP)生效一周年，抢抓RCEP机遇，拓展福建与RCEP成员国经贸交流合作，成为此次福建政协会议的热议话题。
2022年，福建出台高质量实施RCEP的32条措施，签发原产地证书2.57万份，货值103.7亿元人民币。福建省省长赵龙在福建省十四届人大一次会议上作政府工作报告时表示，福建将积极培育国际营销公共平台，政策支持企业运用RCEP优惠关税等规则开拓市场、抢抓订单，推动“福品卖全球、全球买闽货”。
吴崇伯认为，福建省与RCEP其他成员国联系日益密切，经济往来频繁，在RCEP生效实施的良好预期下，应采取措施全面对接RCEP。
作为中国—印尼“两国双园”项目的中方园区，位于福建福州福清市的元洪投资区已有印尼投资企业21家。吴崇伯提出，将中国—印尼“两国双园”项目打造为两国产业的连通器，同时积极探索建设中国(福建)—马来西亚“两国双园”、中国(福建)—菲律宾“两国双园”，重点推动印尼春申农业合作示范区、柬埔寨闽柬工业园等加快投资建设。
“用好协定关税减让安排和原产地规则，在巩固传统产品出口优势的同时，扩大机电产品、高新技术产品出口。”吴崇伯建议，推动对RCEP成员国先进技术设备、原材料、中间产品、优质消费品进口，将福建打造成东南沿海地区区域性进口商品集散中心。
他也建议，充分发挥福建省侨资侨力优势，加强与RCEP成员国合资经营、联合投资；探索在RCEP成员国搭建电子商务平台，支持跨境电子商务等新型贸易方式和外贸综合服务企业的发展，全方位与RCEP成员国建立更为密切的合作关系和合作机制。
如何抓住RCEP生效实施带来的机遇？在此次福建政协会议上，民革福建省委会建议，稳定福建传统优势产业纺织鞋服产业链供应链，打造RCEP纺织鞋服出口基地，建设RCEP进口纺织鞋服产品营销中心，拓展福建省对外经贸合作的广度和深度，推动形成国际经济竞争合作新优势。
民进福建省委会经过调研认为，福建数字贸易增长将迎来机遇期，可加快推进新型数字基础设施建设，探索制定完善数字贸易制度规则，促进跨境电子商务创新发展，拓展与RCEP国家的电商平台合作，推动福建制造品牌“走出去”。
近期，福建多地组织企业“出海”抢订单。福建省政协委员、致公党福建省委会专职副主委吴棉国建议，发挥侨海优势，加强闽企与海外工商界、企业界的沟通交流，引导产业链、供应链上下游企业共同抱团；扩大闽企的海外“朋友圈”，为闽企“抱团出海”铺路搭桥。(完)
