美國國防長官登上巡航南海航母 Carter in symbolic big stick warning to China
Theodore Roosevelt, who more than a century ago was the first to define the Pacific as a core US interest, once urged his countrymen to “speak softly and carry a big stick”.
一個多世紀前首位將太平洋界定爲美國核心利益的美國總統西奧多圠斯福(Theodore Roosevelt)，曾敦促美國人“溫言在口，大棒在手”。
Yesterday, America’s understated defence secretary Ashton Carter used a visit to the US aircraft carrier named in the former president’s honour to deliver a highly symbolic warning to China.
昨日，美國低調內斂的國防部長阿什頓慍祓(Ashton Carter)利用參觀以羅斯福命名的美國航空母艦的機會，向中國發出一個高度象徵性的警告。
Speaking from the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt — nicknamed “The Big Stick” — in the South China Sea, Mr Carter said there was “a lot of concern about China in the region”.
在航行於南中國海的西奧多圠斯福號航空母艦(USS Theodore Roosevelt)——綽號“大棒”——甲板上，卡特發表講話，表示“本地區對中國有很多關切”。
“Many countries in the region are coming to the United States and asking us to do more with them so that we can keep the peace out here,” Mr Carter said, as he warned of “extravagant claims and the militarisation, principally by China” in the South China Sea.
“本地區的許多國家來找美國，要求我們與他們加大合作，使我們能夠保持這裏的和平，”卡特表示。他警告稱，南中國海存在“過分的主張和軍事化，主要來自中國”。
As he spoke, the USS Theodore Roosevelt was 150-200 nautical miles south of the Spratly Islands, the contested areas of the South China Sea where China is building artificial islands.
他發表講話之際，西奧多圠斯福號航空母艦位於斯普拉特利羣島（Spratly Islands，中國稱南沙羣島——譯者注）以南150至200海里處，這個羣島處在一個有爭議的海域，中國正在那裏建造人工島。
The aircraft carrier visit was the culmination of 10 days of high-stakes military and diplomatic action by the US which Mr Carter hopes will dissuade China from expanding its military presence in the South China Sea and will reassure nervous allies about the durability of a US presence in the western Pacific. But the demonstration of naval strength runs the risk of provoking China and sparking a more intense competition in the South China Sea between the two powerful militaries.
卡特登上航母標誌着美方持續10天的高風險軍事和外交行動進入高潮。卡特希望，這些行動將說服中國停止在南中國海擴大其軍事存在，並向神經緊張的盟友保證：美國將在西太平洋地區持久存在。但是，展示海軍實力的風險是可能刺激中國，引發兩支強大的軍隊在南中國海展開更激烈的角力。
Although the US is facing more immediate military crises, from the resilience of Islamist militants in Syria and Iraq to the conflict in Ukraine, it is the emerging competition in the western Pacific with China that over the next two decades will do more than anything to determine the global balance of power and America’s ability to remain the central nation in the international system.
雖然美國正面臨更爲緊迫的軍事危機（從敘利亞和伊拉克的伊斯蘭主義武裝分子，到烏克蘭衝突），但是，相比其它任何事態，西太平洋上正在浮現的美國與中國的競爭，在未來20年將在更大程度上決定全球力量對比，決定美國能不能繼續做國際體系中的核心國家。
Last week, the US sent the USS Lassen, a destroyer, within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef, an artificial island built by China in the South China Sea to demonstrate that the US does not recognise any Chinese claim to the surrounding seas.
上週，美國派出“拉森號”(USS Lassen)驅逐艦駛入中國在南中國海建造的人造島“渚碧礁”(Subi Reef)周邊12海里水域內，以宣示美國不承認中國對周邊海域的任何聲索。
Commander Robert Francis, captain of the USS Lassen, said that his ship had been followed by a Chinese destroyer for about two weeks, including the day it conducted the “freedom of navigation operation” in the South China Sea.
“拉森號”艦長羅伯特弗朗西斯(Robert Francis)表示，他所在的軍艦被中國的一艘驅逐艦尾隨了大約兩週，包括“拉森號”在南中國海執行“航行自由行動”的當天。
He said the Chinese vessel had issued a warning that the USS Lassen was entering Chinese territorial waters but had behaved in a “professional” and “courteous” fashion.
他表示，中國軍艦向“拉森號”發出了進入中國領海的警告，但中方的行爲是“專業”和“客氣”的。
China has reacted angrily to the US operations in the South China Sea, accusing Washington of violating its sovereignty. In the short term, the main question will be whether China continues to send more military equipment and personnel to the islands it has developed in the Spratly chain over the past 18 months.
中國已對美國在南中國海展開的行動作出憤怒反應，指控華盛頓方面侵犯中國主權。短期而言，主要問題將是中國會不會繼續在其18個月以來在斯普拉特利羣島填海造出的幾個人工島部署更多軍事裝備和人員。
Beyond that, US officials are worried that China could try to establish an air identification zone in the South China Sea, which would amount to an attempt to claim control of the airspace in the region.
除此之外，美國官員擔心，中國可能嘗試在南中國海劃設一個防空識別區，那將相當於企圖掌握該地區空域的控制權。
Having sent the USS Lassen close to Subi Reef, US officials say they will continue to make the same point by conducting further such operations in the South China Sea, potentially about two every quarter.
在派遣“拉森號”接近渚碧礁之後，美國官員們表示，他們將繼續在南中國海展開更多航行自由行動，頻度可能達到每季度兩次，以求表明同樣立場。
The other factor that Washington hopes will restrain China is the growing support for a strong US military presence in the region from China’s neighbours as a result of Beijing’s behaviour.
華盛頓方面希望將有助於抑制中國的另一個因素是，北京方面的行爲已促使鄰國更加支持美國在該地區保持強大軍事存在。
Over the past two years, the US has agreed to closer military co-operation with Japan, the Philippines and Australia. The latest Asian nation to move closer to Washington is Malaysia, which has its own territorial dispute in the South China Sea with China and which has become much more critical of Beijing over the past year.
過去兩年裏，美國已同意與日本、菲律賓和澳大利亞加強軍事合作。最新一個靠攏華盛頓的亞洲國家是馬來西亞，該國也在南中國海與中國存在領土爭端，而且在過去一年大幅調高了批評北京的分貝。
Mr Carter flew to the USS Theodore Roosevelt from an air base in Malaysia accompanied by Hishammuddin Hussein, the country’s defence minister. Next week US marines will take part in a military exercise in eastern Malaysia and the two governments have been discussing further joint training exercises.
卡特是在馬來西亞國防部長希沙姆丁侯賽因(Hishammuddin Hussein)的陪同下，從馬來西亞的一個空軍基地登機飛抵西奧多圠斯福號航空母艦的。下週美國海軍陸戰隊將在馬來西亞東部參加軍事演習，兩國政府還在討論舉行進一步的聯合演練。
A senior US official said: “There has been much greater interest [from Malaysia] in developing defence ties with the US in the last couple of years.
一位美國高官表示：“（馬來西亞）在過去兩年對於同美國發展防務關係表現出更加濃厚得多的興趣。
“China does itself a disservice when it puts pressure on other countries to not offend it because that sends a signal to the entire region that China is a country they need to be careful about.”
“中國施壓其它國家不要冒犯它，這給中國自己幫了倒忙，因爲這種行爲向整個地區傳遞的信號是，中國是它們需要小心提防的國家。”
Mira Rapp-Hooper, an Asia expert at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington think-tank, said China would push more countries towards the US if it continued with its military build-up in the South China Sea.
華盛頓智庫——新美國安全中心(Center for a New American Security)的亞洲問題專家米拉拉普-胡珀(Mira Rapp-Hooper)表示，如果中國繼續在南中國海加強軍事部署，它將把更多國家推向美國的懷抱。
“If the trend moves in the direction of more rapid militarisation of the islands, then the likes of Malaysia and Vietnam will be more in play,” she said.
“如果那些島朝着加快軍事化的方向發展，那麼馬來西亞和越南等國家將會拿出更多對策，”她表示。
Mr Carter insisted that China’s growing naval power would not prevent the US from maintaining its role as the anchor of regional security. “America has long been a stabilising force here,” he said. “That has allowed all the Asian miracles to occur over the last 70 years.”
卡特堅稱，中國海軍實力增長不會阻止美國保持其作爲地區安全主心骨的角色。“美國長期以來是這裏的穩定力量，”他表示。“70年來，這種格局使所有的亞洲奇蹟能夠發生。”
