美中在東盟峯會上就南海問題交鋒
China and the US clashed over the South China Sea at an annual meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders at the weekend, blaming each other for “militarising” the region as tensions over longstanding maritime disputes continue to simmer.
中國和美國週末在一個亞太國家領導人的年度會議上就南中國海問題發生言語交鋒，彼此指責對方在地區搞“軍事化”。圍繞長期海上爭端的緊張局勢持續發酵。
Speaking before a meeting with leaders of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Kuala Lumpur, Barack Obama, the US president, called on rival claimants to “halt reclamation, new construction and militarisation of disputed areas” in the South China Sea for the sake of regional stability.
美國總統巴拉克·奧巴馬(Barack Obama)在東南亞國家聯盟(ASEAN) 10國領導人在吉隆坡舉行的會議上發表講話，要求聲索主權的各方爲了地區穩定，在南中國海“停止在爭議地區填海造島、新建工程以及軍事化”。
Beijing hit back, insisting that its actions were “beyond reproach,” that it was only building military installations on South China Sea islands to protect its civilian facilities and that a recent US naval mission was a “political provocation” designed to “test China’s response”.
北京方面作出回擊，堅稱其行爲“無可厚非”，中國在南海島嶼上建造軍事設施只是爲了防衛其民用設施，並稱美國海軍最近的行動是一種“政治挑釁”，目的是“檢驗中國會做什麼樣的反應”。
China’s intense programme of reclamation on reefs in the contested waters and the construction of airfields and other military facilities has sparked concern in south-east Asian capitals as well as Washington and Tokyo.
中國在有爭議海域進行高強度填海造島，還建造機場等軍事設施，已在東南亞各國首都以及華盛頓和東京引起關注。
The US responded last month by sailing a warship within 12 nautical miles of a man-made island in the South China Sea controlled by Beijing, infuriating China with what Washington called a “freedom of navigation operation”.
美國在上月作出迴應，出動一艘軍艦駛入北京方面在南中國海控制的一座人工島的12海里範圍內，美方所稱的這個“航行自由行動”激怒了中國。
Beijing lays claim to almost the entire resource-rich South China Sea, while Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also maintain full or partial claims.
北京方面宣稱其在資源豐富的南中國海擁有幾乎全部主權，而文萊、馬來西亞、菲律賓、臺灣和越南也宣稱擁有全部或部分主權。
China’s ever more assertive stance has upset rival claimants, while the US and Japan, which has its own territorial dispute with Beijing in the East China Sea, have become increasingly concerned about the threat to regional stability and freedom of navigation.
中國越來越強硬的姿態令其他主權聲索方不滿，同時美國以及與北京方面在東中國海存在領土爭端的日本，則對地區穩定和航行自由所面臨的威脅日益關切。
Speaking after a meeting between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Mr Obama and 16 other regional leaders, Liu Zhenmin, China’s vice-foreign minister, attacked the “false argument” that it was militarising the South China Sea.
在中國總理李克強、奧巴馬以及其他16個地區領導人開會後，中國副外長劉振民發表講話，抨擊了有關中國在南海搞軍事化的“虛假論點”。
He said the reclamation, which was completed in June, and construction efforts were intended to reduce the “hardship” of those living on the islands and to develop facilities to help distressed fishermen and commercial ships. Mr Liu added that “as those islands and reefs are far from China’s mainland, it is necessary to build and maintain military facilities” but he said that “one should never link such military facilities with efforts to militarise” the South China Sea.
他表示，填海工程（已在6月完工）以及建設努力的目的是要減少那些生活在島上的人員的“艱苦”，並發展幫助遇險漁民和商船的設施。劉振民補充說：“在遠離祖國大陸的這些島礁上，保持建設必要的軍事防衛措施，這是國家國防安全的需要，也是保護島礁的需要，”但他表示，“千萬不要把我們在島礁上要建的軍事設施與島礁軍事化，與南海軍事化掛起鉤來。”
Ashley Townshend, a security researcher at the University of Sydney, said the real concern was “a much more significant militarisation”, including any deployment of military aircraft, large artillery or short-range missile batteries on a permanent basis. “China would do well to clarify what it intends to deploy, in defence of what threats it believes exist, in order to be transparent,” he said.
悉尼大學(University of Sydney)安全問題研究員阿什利·湯曾德(Ashley Townshend)表示，真正令人擔憂的是“規模大得多的軍事化”，包括永久性部署軍用飛機、大型火炮或短程導彈陣地。“爲了透明起見，中國最好澄清它打算部署什麼，抵禦什麼它相信存在的威脅，”他表示。
Gary Li of Beijing-based consultancy Apco Worldwide said that while China had always stressed that the new facilities were for civilian use, “everyone knows and China has never denied that the garrisons on these islands are military in nature”.
北京安可顧問公司(APCO Worldwide)的Gary Li表示，儘管中國一直強調新建設施是民用的，但“大家都明白，中國也從未否認，這些島上的工事是軍用性質的”。
Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, also raised concerns at the summit about China’s behaviour, criticising “unilateral acts” that had heightened tensions in the South China Sea.
日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)也在峯會上對中國的行爲表示擔憂，他批評某些“單方面行爲”加劇了南海緊張局勢。
Japanese officials said Tokyo supported the US navy’s freedom of navigation operation but there was confusion over whether Japan would join its ally by sending in its self-defence forces, as its military is known. One Japanese official briefed the media that Mr Abe told Mr Obama last week that he would consider such a move “with regard to the effect on Japan’s national security”.
日本官員表示東京方面支持美國海軍的航行自由行動，但對於日本會不會出動自衛隊加入盟友的行動，有一些不一致的表示。一位日本官員在對媒體吹風時表示，安倍上週告訴奧巴馬，他在考慮這樣的行動時，會顧及其“對日本的國家安全的影響”。
But other Japanese diplomats downplayed this, saying there were “no plans” to do so. Analysts believe that Japan is unlikely to take such a course of action at present although US military officials would be glad if they did.
但其他日本外交官淡化了這一點，稱日方“沒有計劃”這樣做。分析人士相信，日本目前不太可能採取此類行動，儘管如果他們這麼做的話，美軍官員將很高興。
