中美防長要就南海問題進行會晤
Ashton Carter, the US defence secretary, told Chang Wanquan, his Chinese counterpart, yesterday that the US would continue to conduct naval operations in the South China Sea, which Beijing considers to be “illegal”.
美國國防部長阿什頓慍祓(Ashton Carter)昨日告訴中國國防部長常萬全，美國海軍將繼續在南中國海執行任務——這些行動被中國政府認爲是“非法的”。
During a meeting that US officials described as “cordial”, Gen Chang told Mr Carter that China would defend what it considers to be sovereign territory and had a “bottom line” when it came to US missions in the South China Sea.
在被美國官員形容爲“坦誠”的會晤期間，常萬全上將向卡特表示，中國會保衛它認爲擁有主權的領土，在美國在南中國海的軍事行動的問題上，中國是有“底線”的。
The differences were aired when the defence leaders met for the first time on the fringe of a South East Asian summit in Malaysia. Their conversation came a week after a US destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island in the South China Sea that is claimed by China and where it is building an airfield that could have military use.
兩位國防部長在馬來西亞一次東南亞峯會的間隙首次會晤，交換了上述不同意見。在他們對話一週前，一艘美國驅逐艦駛入了南中國海一座人造島周邊12海里水域內。中國聲稱擁有該島的主權，並正在島上修建一座可能具有軍事用途的機場。
The US Navy says the mission, which it insists was a “freedom of navigation operation”, was not designed to challenge China’s land claims in the South China Sea, where five other countries also contest many of the islands and land features. The US says it wanted to show that artificial islands, such as the reclaimed land at Subi Reef where the USS Lassen sailed, do not confer rights to the seas surrounding them.
美國海軍堅稱這是一次“航行自由行動”，不是爲了挑戰中國在南中國海的領土聲索。除了中國，還有五個國家宣稱對南中國海的許多島嶼和地物擁有主權。美國表示，它想表明，人造島——比如中國在渚碧礁(Subi Reef)填海造出的島——並不會給造島方帶來島嶼周邊海域的任何權利。美國拉森號(USS Lassen)驅逐艦駛近的就是渚碧礁。
Behind the sparring over international law is a broader contest between the US and China in the western Pacific. China’s ambitious programme of land reclamation in the South China Sea is one element of a strategy slowly to shift the balance of power in a region that the US Navy has dominated for 70 years.
在這場圍繞國際法展開的爭吵背後，是美中在西太平洋上演的一場全面較量。中國雄心勃勃的南中國海填海造島計劃，是它緩慢改變西太平洋力量對比的戰略的一部分。美國海軍主宰西太平洋已有70年。
Describing the brief conversation between the defence ministers, the senior US official said Mr Carter “reaffirmed that the US will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows” and had insisted that “the South China Sea would not be an exception”.
在評述兩位國防長的簡短對話時，上述美國高官表示卡特“重申美國將繼續在國際法允許的任何地方飛行、航行和開展行動”，並堅稱“南中國海不會成爲一個例外”。
Gen Chang argued the Chinese build-up in the South China Sea was largely to help other countries in the region, including with humanitarian assistance. However, according to a US official, he told Mr Carter: “We need to do things that help us defend our sovereign territory, and I need to be very clear to you that there is a bottom line to this.”
常萬全辯稱，中國在南中國海的建設行爲在很大程度上是爲了幫助該地區其他國家，包括提供人道主義援助。然而，根據一位美國官員的說法，他告訴卡特：“我們必須做些事情幫助我們保衛我們的主權領土。我必須明確告訴您，在這個問題上我們是有底線的。”
Gen Chang gave no details of what that “bottom line” would entail, the US official added.
這名美國官員補充說，常萬全並未說明這一“底線”的具體涵義。
Earlier, Admiral Harry Harris, head of the US Pacific Command, told an audience in China that the US would continue to conduct “routine” operations in the South China Sea, even as he called for closer ties between the American and Chinese militaries. US naval operations near territory claimed by China were not “a threat to any nation” but were to defend freedom of navigation in international waters, Adml Harris insisted.
更早一些時候，美國太平洋司令部(United States Pacific Command，代號USPACOM)司令、海軍上將哈里哈里斯(Admiral Harry Harris)在中國向一羣中國聽衆表示，美國將繼續在南中國海展開“例行”行動。哈里斯上將堅稱，美國海軍在靠近中國宣稱擁有主權的地方展開的行動“不對任何國家構成威脅”，而是爲了捍衛國際水域的航行自由。
“We are making it clear that... military will continue to fly, sail and operate whenever and wherever international law allows,” he said in a speech at Peking University’s Stanford Center. “The South China Sea is not — and will not be — an exception.”
“我們明確指出……美軍將繼續在國際法允許的任何時間和任何地方飛行、航行和開展行動，”他在北京大學斯坦福中心發表講話時表示，“南中國海現在不是例外，將來也不會是。”
Although Adml Harris, who earlier this year accused China of trying to create a “great wall of sand” in the South China Sea, issued a strong defence of the US operation last week, his remarks in Beijing were relatively restrained. He said it was important to have “personal and candid conversations”.
今年早些時候，哈里斯曾指責中國企圖在南中國海構築一道“沙長城”。儘管哈里斯上週對美方的行動作出了強勢辯護，但他在北京發表的講話相對剋制。他表示，美中進行“面對面的坦誠對話”很重要。
