日本擬向菲律賓提供大型巡視船

Japan is to supply patrol boats and aircraft to the Philippines in the latest step by international powers to counter Chinese expansion in Asia’s seas.

日本將向菲律賓供應巡視船和飛機，這是國際大國反制中國在亞洲海域擴張的最新舉措。

Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, and Rodrigo Duterte, Philippines president, struck a deal yesterday for Tokyo to provide two large patrol vessels and loan up to five used TC-90 unarmed surveillance planes.

日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)和菲律賓總統羅德里戈•杜特爾特(Rodrigo Duterte)昨日達成一項協議，由東京方面提供兩艘大型巡視船，並出借至多五架用過的TC-90型非武裝偵察機。

The agreement marks another step in attempts by Japan and other powers to check China’s growing maritime ambitions by creating a chain of regional allies committed to the status quo and the rule of law at sea.

該協議標誌着日本和其它大國創建一條致力於維護現狀和海上法治的地區盟友鏈、據此制衡中國不斷膨脹的海上雄心的又一步驟。

China claims almost all of the South China Sea and has been building artificial islands on reefs and atolls.

中國把幾乎整個南中國海劃入自己的版圖，近期還依託島礁和環礁建造人工島。

Its claims overlap with those of Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, as well as Taiwan and Brunei.

中國與馬來西亞、菲律賓和越南，以及臺灣和文萊的領土主張部分重疊。

The Tokyo-Manila deal, struck on the sidelines of a summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Vientiane, Laos, covers two new vessels in the 90-metre class — similar to the largest ships in Japan’s own coastguard fleet.

東京和馬尼拉方面之間的上述協議，是在老撾萬象舉行的東南亞國家領導人峯會間隙達成的。該協議涵蓋兩艘90米級的新船——類似於日本海上保安廳船隊中噸位最大的巡視船。

They follow 10 smaller vessels, the first of which Japan delivered in August.

此前日本已同意提供10艘較小的巡視船，並已在8月交付第一艘。

Coastguard vessels are often on the front line of territorial disputes in Asia, entering disputed waters where a naval ship would be too provocative.

在亞洲的領土爭端中，海岸警衛隊的船艇往往出沒於爭議水域的第一線；出動海軍軍艦進入此類水域將被視爲過於挑釁。

There has been a trend towards ever bigger coastguard vessels that can intimidate rivals with their sheer size.

目前各國的趨勢是配備越來越大的海岸警衛隊船艇，用自己的噸位威嚇對手。

The US in May lifted its 50-year-old arms embargo against Vietnam and Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, visited Hanoi at the weekend amid plans for a missile sale and a deal to base Indian ships in Vietnam and set up a -satellite tracking and imaging station there.

美國在5月解除了針對越南的50年武器禁運，而印度總理納倫德拉•莫迪(Narendra Modi)上週末訪問河內，商談導彈銷售計劃，以及讓印度軍艦使用越南的基地，並讓印方在越南設立一個衛星跟蹤和成像站。

India also recently agreed a $100m contract to supply fast patrol boats to Hanoi.

印度最近還與越南達成一筆1億美元的合同，向河內方面提供高速巡邏艇。

A Hague tribunal rejected Beijing’s expansive maritime claims in July, ruling that they had no legal basis.

一個海牙仲裁庭7月裁決北京方面擴張性的海上主張無效，稱其沒有法理依據。

But several of the countries affected have struggled to respond to China’s moves, lacking the air or sea capabilities even to patrol disputed waters.

但受影響的幾個國家在迴應中國的舉動方面力不從心，甚至不具備在爭議海域進行海空巡邏的能力。

Japan’s deal with Manila came as a spat between the Philippines and the US dominated the first day of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.

日本與馬尼拉達成協議之際，菲律賓和美國之間的一場口水戰籠罩了東盟(ASEAN)峯會首日。

Washington scrapped a planned meeting between Barack Obama and Mr Duterte after the latter made insulting remarks about the US president.

在杜特爾特對美國總統出言不遜後，華盛頓方面取消了奧巴馬和杜特爾特會晤的計劃。