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.
访谈｜ASML全球高级副总裁沈波：开放合作半导体行业才能发展******
(第五届进博会)访谈｜ASML全球高级副总裁沈波：开放合作半导体行业才能发展
中新社上海11月6日电 题：访谈｜ASML全球高级副总裁沈波：开放合作半导体行业才能发展
中新社记者 李佳佳
元宇宙体验、光刻机“开箱”视频和H5虚拟课堂，备受外界关注的全球半导体行业供应商ASML在第五届中国国际进口博览会上，首次通过“元宇宙”平台，带来沉浸式的光刻体验，彰显前沿科技。
自1988年交付首台步进式光刻机以来，ASML进入中国市场已有三十余年，见证、亲历和支持了中国半导体产业的发展。
“今年是ASML第四次参展进博会，我们希望借助进博会的平台不断地展现开放共赢、合作发展的理念。”ASML全球高级副总裁、中国区总裁沈波表示：“ASML一直秉持开放与专注，以‘开放式创新’和对光刻技术的专注，持续支持半导体行业的发展。在进博会，我们可以与全行业甚至跨行业的企业和合作伙伴加深交流，共商合作前景。”
首次在进博会亮相的“ASML元宇宙”之旅给此间观展者带去了身临其境的独特体验。在ASML元宇宙空间里，观展者可以“亲身”进入无尘室，近距离接触神秘的光刻机，更可以结合影视级效果的3D裸眼视频，了解光刻机的内部基本原理——光源经过照明模组投向掩模版，再穿过掩模版上的电路图案，通过投影物镜将影像聚焦到晶圆上。“元宇宙”中还有生动的全方位光刻解决方案动画和丰富多样的科普视频，令观展者沉浸式了解更多有关ASML的故事。
“每年我们都会思考以什么样的形式参加进博会”，沈波说，去年，进博会的集成电路专区设立，凸显了外界对产业的关注和重视。希望未来在设立专区的基础上，能够增加宣传和引导，比如举办一些专题或者小论坛，以加深外界对行业的了解。
其实，除了光刻机，ASML在芯片制造的成像环节也会提供全方位的光刻解决方案，从光刻机设备本身到计算光刻软件，再到芯片生产过程的量测、缺陷的检查等，ASML均有涉猎。“我们更想跟大家讲讲怎么帮助客户在芯片生产的过程中，在我们的环节上做出足够大的工艺窗口，让芯片生产的质量、精度能够控制得更好，或者让客户的技术进步更顺畅地向前。这是我们今年进博会主要的出发点。”
当前，中国已是全世界最大的成熟制程市场，这俨然成为行业的共识。“中国在整个半导体产业链中扮演非常重要的角色，这是所谓‘不确定性中的确定性’。在这种确定的情况下，中国该怎么发展成熟制程，怎么把成熟制程做好，怎么在全球的半导体产业链里把自己重要的角色扮演好，从这个角度看，中国市场的潜力是很大的，中国有全世界最大的终端市场，最活跃的应用市场，终端市场、应用市场反过来可以推动上游设计、制造方面的发展创新。”
说起行业未来的发展，沈波坦言，半导体行业自身有一定的周期，有起有伏不是新鲜事。但是从半导体行业过去多年的发展和对未来的预期来看，整体向上的趋势是在的，“只要大趋势在，就会要求有更多的计算、更多的存储、更多新的应用支持，就会带动半导体行业的需求量向上”。(完)
