_____________________.VOA correspondent Steve Herman reports.VOA特派记者Steve Herman报道。 The Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Philippines is being dusted off in both Washington and Manila by diplomats and politicians, many of whom were not even born when it was written in 1951. Officials are trying to determine whether the United States is compelled to come to the aid of Manila should there be a military clash between the Philippines and China in an isolated lagoon some 200 kilometers western of Subic Bay. For more than a month, both the Philippines and China have had ships posted around Scarborough Shoal after Chinese vessels prevented a Philippines naval vessel from arresting Chinese fishermen. Both the Philippines and China claim the waters. Steve Herman, VOA News.“美菲共同防御条约”被美菲两国外交官和政客们重提,而1951年该条约签订时,他们中的许多人都未出生。官员们试图确定,假如中菲双方因一个偏远环礁湖(西距菲律宾苏比湾大约两百公里)的归属问题而爆发军事冲突,美国是否会履行条约承诺,向马尼拉提供军事援助。自中国渔政船在黄岩岛成功制止菲律宾海军船只抓捕中国渔民,随后中菲两国在该岛附近派遣巡逻船只,已逾一个多月。中菲双方都发表声明称对黄岩岛水域拥有主权。这是Steve Herman带来的VOA新闻。