外媒看中國：大中華要征服南極洲？！

China is making big moves in Antarctica as it attempts to position itself for maximum influence on the world's last unclaimed piece of land, Jane Perlez reports for The New York Times.
據《紐約時報》記者裴若思向該報報道，中國正在南極洲展開重大舉動，力圖在這片僅存的尚未被人類征服的土地上謀得具有最大影響力的戰略位置。

Although Beijing did not establish its first Antarctic research base until 1985, Chinese efforts to expand its influence across the continent have intensified and are now outpacing other nations' plans.
中國直至1985年纔在南極洲建立了第一個考察站，儘管如此，近年來，中國加緊了自己向這塊跨洋大陸擴張影響力的步驟，其步伐之快已經超出了其他國家的計劃。

"China’s operations on the continent — it opened its fourth research station last year, chose a site for a fifth, and is investing in a second icebreaker and new ice-capable planes and helicopters — are already the fastest-growing of the 52 signatories to the Antarctic Treaty," Perlez notes.
記者裴若思稱：“中國在去年設置了第四個南極考察站，還爲第五個南極考察站選定了位置，現在還在投資建造第二艘破冰船、可以在冰上升降的新型飛機和直升機等考察設備——中國在南極洲的建設步伐在52個《南極條約》簽訂國中是進展最快的。

The US has six research stations on the continent, while Australia has three. The Antarctic Treaty, which was signed in 1959, commits the signatories to ensuring that the continent will remain open for peaceful scientific research and that the region will not be militarized. A number of separate protocols aim to protect the Antarctic environment from overfishing and mining of what are considered to be large supplies of scarce resources in the region.
美國在南極洲有六個科考站，澳大利亞有三個。各國在1959年簽訂的《南極條約》規定，簽訂國有義務保證這塊大陸永遠向和平的科學考察行動開放許可，同時承諾不對這片區域進行軍事控制。另有若干單獨協議旨在保護南極洲免於過渡捕撈，以及保護這一區域內儲量極大的稀缺資源免於過度開採。

Although China has abided by the constraints of the pacts, observers of Antarctic affairs believe that Beijing is using the guise of research to gain a strategic upper hand in case region opens to commercial drilling in the future.
雖然中國受到上述協定的制約，但南極洲局勢的觀察研究人員相信，中國正在以科學研究爲掩護，謀取戰略優勢地位，以便爲日後這一區域對商業性開發開放許可之時做好準備。

“This is part of a broader pattern of a mercantilist approach all around the world,” Peter Jennings, director of Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told the NYT. “A big driver of Chinese policy is to secure a long-term energy supply and food supply.”
澳大利亞戰略決策協會的會長皮特·傑寧斯稱，“這是中國在世界範圍內實施重商主義政策的宏大計劃的題中之義。”“中國如此決策背後的一大驅動力在於保證長期的能源供應和糧食供應。”

The ban on commercial drilling of resources in Antarctica is due to expire in 2048, unless the Protocol on Environmental Protection is re-ratified by consensus. If the accord does expire, Antarctica could become the next major source of hydrocarbons on earth. The region is believed to have an approximate 200 billion barrels of oil, in addition to being the largest single repository of fresh water on the planet.
對南極洲能源商業性開發的禁令將在2048年終止，除非《環境保護協議》經各國協商重新生效。如果這一協定屆時真的廢止，南極洲或將成爲地球上下一個碳氫化合物的主要開採源。據證實，這一區域內石油的存儲量約爲2000億筒，同時南極洲還是地球上僅有最大的淡水庫。

China's current investments could place it in an unrivaled position to take advantage of any resources on the continent in 2048.
中國目前的投資數額或能使其在2048年獲得上無可比擬的優勢位置，在這塊大陸上佔據對所有種類資源的優先權。

"China's exploration of the continent is like playing chess. It's important to have a position in the global game," Guo Peiqing, a law professor at the Ocean University of China told The Guardian. "We don't know when play will happen, but it's necessary to have a foothold."
中國海洋大學法學院教授國培平對《衛報》記者稱，“中國對南極洲的徵險就像是在下象棋。在這一世界各國參加的棋局中放好棋位是非常重要的。”“我們不知道好戲何時開場，但謀得一個立足點是十分必要的。”