英國將派航母赴南中國海航行

Britain plans to sail two new aircraft carriers through contested Asian waters at a time of rising tensions between China and the US.

英國計劃派遣兩艘新型航母赴亞洲爭議海域巡航。目前中美之間緊張局勢不斷加劇。

Boris Johnson, foreign secretary, said on Thursday that Britain was stepping up its commitment to the Asia-Pacific region following its dispatch of Typhoon aircraft to Japan and South Korea last year.

英國外交大臣鮑里斯?約翰遜(Boris Johnson)週四表示，自去年向日本和韓國派遣“颱風”(Typhoon)戰機後，英國將加強其對亞太地區的承諾。

“One of the first things we will do with the two new colossal aircraft carriers that we have just built is send them on a freedom of navigation operation to this area,” he said in Sydney.

他在悉尼稱：“我們剛剛建造的兩艘新的巨型航母首先要做的事情之一，就是派它們到這一地區展開航行自由行動。”

HMS Queen Elizabeth is due to come into service in 2020 but HMS Prince of Wales is not due until 2023.

英國皇家海軍“伊麗莎白女王”號(HMS Queen Elizabeth)將於2020年服役，而“威爾士親王”號(HMS Prince of Wales)服役要等到2023年。

Mr Johnson said the aim was “to vindicate our belief in the rules-based international system and the freedom of navigation through those waterways which are absolutely vital to world trade”.

約翰遜稱，此舉旨在“強化我們對基於規則的國際體系以及這些對世界貿易至關重要的航道航行自由的信念”。

Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Renmin University in Beijing, said: “This kind of action is not helpful to the relationship between China and Great Britain. China will be very much displeased. This shows that Britain might be changing its quite favourable attitude based on highlighting economic relations”.

在北京，中國人民大學國際關係學教授時殷弘說:“此舉對中英關係沒有好處。中國將非常不悅。這表明，英國可能在改變其建立在注重經貿關係之上的對華相當有利的態度。”

China’s foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment.

記者未能立即聯繫到中國外交部請其置評。

China lays claim to almost the entire South China Sea, a vital trade route and a lucrative fishing area. This has caused tensions with Asian neighbours and Washington, which has vowed to uphold the rule of law and freedom of navigation.

中國宣稱對幾乎整個南中國海擁有主權，該海域有着至關重要的貿易航道，還有豐富的漁業資源。這引發了中國與亞洲鄰國及華盛頓關係緊張，美國已誓言要維護法治和航行自由。

Euan Graham, an analyst at the Lowy Institute think-tank, said Mr Johnson’s commitment to Asian waters was unlikely to take effect until the early 2020s when the carriers would be ready to sail to the region.

智庫洛伊研究所(Lowy Institute)的分析師尤安?格雷厄姆(Euan Graham)表示，約翰遜對亞洲海域的承諾要等到本世紀20年代初才能兌現，屆時英國的兩艘航母才能準備好開赴該地區。

“There will be a gap before this takes place,” he said.

“在這之前，將會有一個空白時期，”他說。

Mr Johnson made his comments following a joint meeting between British and Australian foreign and defence ministers, who discussed closer defence and trade co-operation as the UK prepares to leave the EU.

約翰遜發表上述言論前，英國、澳大利亞兩國外交和國防大臣舉行了一場聯席會議，討論了在英國準備退出歐盟之際進行更緊密的防務與貿易合作。

The foreign secretary told The Australian newspaper that legal certainty in the South China Sea was important and that Britain had a role to play in the region that would be welcomed by many.

英國外交大臣對《澳大利亞人報》(The Australian)表示，南中國海的法律確定性非常重要，英國在該地區可扮演重要角色，這將受到許多國家的歡迎。

“People want the involvement of a country that sticks up for the rules-based international system, that is prepared to deploy its military in the area,” he added.

他補充說：“人們希望一個支持以規則爲基礎的國際體系、且準備在該地區部署軍事力量的國家介入進來。”

On Sunday a US spy plane had to take action to avoid a Chinese fighter jet over the East China Sea. Any British freedom of navigation operation would probably incur the wrath of Beijing, which is asserting its claims to the contested waters.

上週日，一架美國偵察機不得不採取規避動作，避免在東中國海上空與一架中國戰鬥機發生碰撞。英國的任何航行自由行動都很可能招致北京方面的憤怒，北京方面正在竭力聲索對這一有爭議海域的主權。