中國指責美國加劇南海爭端
China and the US clashed over the South China Sea at a defence forum this weekend, with a Chinese admiral warning Washington that “we have no fear of trouble”.
中國和美國週末圍繞南中國海問題在一個防務論壇上針鋒相對。中國一名海軍上將警告華盛頓方面稱：中國“不怕事”。
Tensions surrounding these contested waters have been rising amid island-building by Beijing, increased naval and air patrols by the US and the expectation that an international court will soon rule on an arbitration case brought by the Philippines against China’s expansive maritime claims.
圍繞南海爭議海域的緊張局勢不斷升級，其背景是北京方面建設人工島，美國增加海空巡邏，同時一個國際仲裁庭預計不久將對菲律賓提起的反對中國大範圍聲索海洋主權的仲裁案作出裁決。
China has been trying to find other nations such as Russia that are willing to support its rejection of the legitimacy of the permanent court of arbitration in The Hague. Meanwhile, the US, the EU and Japan have said they support the right of the Philippines to bring the case under the provisions of the UN law of the sea, which the US itself has not ratified.
中國一直在試圖尋求其他國家（如俄羅斯）表態支持其不承認海牙常設仲裁法院合法性的立場。與此同時，美國、歐盟和日本均已表態稱，菲律賓有權利根據《聯合國海洋法公約》(UNCLOS)的規定提起此案，儘管美國自己尚未批准《公約》。
Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the joint staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, on Sunday blamed the US for exacerbating the disputes by “openly showing its military muscle” and supporting “allies that are confronting China and forcing China to accept any arbitration award”.
中央軍事委員會聯合參謀部副參謀長、解放軍海軍上將孫建國週日指責美國“公然炫耀武力”，同時“支持其盟國對抗中國，壓中方接受並執行仲裁結果”，加劇了爭端。
“China firmly opposes such behaviour,” he told an audience of defence ministers, generals and analysts at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual security forum in Singapore. “We do not make trouble but we have no fear of trouble.”
“中方對此堅決反對，”他在新加坡舉行的年度安全論壇“香格里拉對話”(Shangri-La Dialogue)對臺下的各國國防部長、將軍和分析人員表示。“我們不惹事，也不怕事。”
He also hit back at the claim made in Singapore a day earlier by Ashton Carter, the US secretary of defence, that China was building a “great wall of self-isolation” because of its aggressive approach to the other claimants to these waters, including the Philippines and Vietnam.
他還回擊了美國國防部部長阿什頓•卡特(Ashton Carter)前一天在新加坡作出的斷言，即中國在南海對菲律賓和越南等其他聲索主權的國家採取咄咄逼人的姿態，等於是在打造一座“自我孤立的長城”。
“Some countries are still looking at China with a cold war prejudice,” said Adm Sun. “They may build a wall in their mind and end up isolating themselves.”
孫建國表示：“我倒是擔心那些有冷戰思維、戴着有色眼鏡看中國的人和國家，在自己心中築起一道牆，最後孤立自己。”
But it was not just the US raising concerns about China’s assertive stance and its opposition to involvement of The Hague court, which is expected to rule within months on the Philippines’ case against Beijing’s “nine-dash line” claim to almost the whole South China Sea.
但是，並不只是美國對中國的強硬姿態、及其反對海牙仲裁庭的管轄表示關切。預計這個仲裁庭將在幾個月內就菲律賓提起的反對北京方面幾乎覆蓋整個南中國海的“九段線”主權聲索的仲裁案做出裁決。
A succession of defence ministers and senior officials from Vietnam, Japan and other Asian nations as well as outside powers such as the UK and France repeated Mr Carter’s call for China and other nations to respect the outcome of the arbitration process and act in accordance with international law.
從越南、日本和其它亞洲國家，到英國和法國等域外大國，一個又一個國防部長和高級官員紛紛重複卡特的呼籲，要求中國和其他國家尊重仲裁過程的結果，依照國際法行事。
“This is a matter of the utmost importance,” said Jean-Yves Le Drian, France’s defence minister. “If the law of the sea is not respected today in the China seas, it will be threatened tomorrow in the Arctic, the Mediterranean or elsewhere.”
“這是一個極其重要的問題，”法國國防部長讓-伊夫•勒德里安(Jean-Yves Le Drian)表示。“如果海洋法今天在中國周邊海域得不到尊重，那麼明天它將在北極地區、地中海或其他地方受到威脅。”
Michael Fallon, the UK defence secretary, said it would be a “mistake” for China to defy the tribunal.
英國國防大臣邁克爾•法倫(Michael Fallon)表示，中國違抗仲裁庭的裁決將是一個“錯誤”。
“We need to keep working to show China that its position is relatively isolated,” he said. “And one day, as China rises as a world power and develops ambitions for its blue-water navy, the time will come when China needs to rely on the provisions of these international conventions.”
“我們需要繼續努力向中國表明，它的立場是相對孤立的，”他表示。“隨着中國崛起爲一個世界強國，並發展其藍水海軍的雄心，有一天中國將需要依靠這些國際公約的規定。”
