英國計劃下月在南中國海實施航行自由行動

Britain has outlined plans to sail a warship through contested Asian waters next month in a mission aimed at asserting maritime freedom of navigation rights at a time of tension between China and the US.

英國已制定了下月派一艘軍艦穿越亞洲有爭議水域的計劃，在中美之間關系緊張之際，英國此舉意在宣示海上的航行自由。

The naval operation in the South China Sea will be conducted by HMS Sutherland, an anti-submarine frigate that is en route to Australia, Gavin Williamson, UK defence secretary, said on Tuesday during a visit to Sydney.

英國國防大臣加文•威廉森(Gavin Williamson)周二在訪問悉尼時表示，英國海軍在南中國海的這次行動將由反潛護衛(wèi)艦“薩瑟蘭號”(HMS Sutherland)實施，該艦目前正駛向澳大利亞。

“She’ll be sailing through the South China Sea [on the way home] and making it clear our navy has a right to do that,” said Mr Williamson.

“她將(在回程中)穿越南中國海，并明確昭示我們的海軍有權這樣做，”威廉森表示。

Asked about Mr Williamson’s statement, China’s foreign ministry said that there was “no problem of freedom of navigation or overflight in the South China Sea. The situation there is also improving. We hope that non-regional countries can respect the efforts made by regional ones.”

當被問及中方如何評論威廉森的言論時，中國外交部表示：“南海的航行和飛越自由不存在任何問題，南海局勢也正日益向好的方向發(fā)展。我們希望有關方面，特別是域外國家，能夠尊重地區(qū)國家的努力。”

In an interview published in The Australian newspaper, Mr Williamson said it was important for Britain, the US, Australia and other countries to “assert our values” in the South China Sea — a vital trade route and lucrative fishing area that Beijing claims as its own territorial waters.

《澳大利亞人報》(The Australian)發(fā)表了其對威廉森的采訪。威廉森在采訪中表示，英國、美國、澳大利亞和其他國家在南中國海“宣示我們的價值觀”具有重要意義。南中國海是一條重要的貿(mào)易航道，也是利潤豐厚的漁區(qū)，北京方面主張南中國海主權屬于中國。

He did not clarify whether HMS Sutherland would sail within 12 nautical miles of disputed territory or artificial islands built by China — an activity practised by US warships that has angered Beijing. But Mr Williamson said Britain “absolutely supported” the US approach on freedom of navigation and its actions in the South China Sea.

威廉森并未闡明“薩瑟蘭號”是否將駛入有爭議領土或中國所建人工島的12海里范圍內(nèi)——美國軍艦此前實施過這樣的行動，北京方面對此憤怒不已。不過，威廉森表示，英國“絕對支持”美國在航行自由上的立場及其在南中國海的行動。

“World dynamics are shifting so greatly. The US can only concentrate on so many things at once,’’ said Mr Williamson. “The US is looking for other countries to do more. This is a great opportunity for the UK and Australia to do more, to exercise leadership.”

“世界形勢正在發(fā)生巨變。美國一次只能專注于這么多事情。”威廉森說，“美國希望其他國家做更多事情。對英國和澳大利亞而言，這是一個做更多事情、發(fā)揮領導力的好機會。”

The UK operation in the South China Sea follows a US freedom of navigation mission last month within 12 nautical miles of Scarborough Shoal, a rocky outcrop that has been the subject of a dispute between China and the Philippines.

上月，美國在斯卡伯勒淺灘(Scarborough Shoal，中國稱黃巖島——譯者注)12海里范圍內(nèi)執(zhí)行了一次航行自由行動。斯卡伯勒淺灘是一處露出水面的巖礁，中國和菲律賓圍繞該淺灘存在領土爭端。

Beijing reacted angrily to the US mission, warning the US military not to threaten peace and stability by conducting such operations.

北京方面對美國的這次行動作出憤怒回應，警告美軍不要通過展開這類行動來威脅和平穩(wěn)定。

Euan Graham, analyst at Sydney’s Lowy Institute think-tank, said the planned UK operation in the South China Sea followed through with a UK commitment made last year to assert freedom of navigation rights in the region.

悉尼智庫洛伊研究所(Lowy Institute)的分析師尤安•格雷厄姆(Euan Graham)表示，英國所計劃的在南中國海的行動，是要履行英國去年做出的在該地區(qū)宣示航行自由權的承諾。

“This is not a show of force by the UK and I doubt they will sail within 12 nautical miles of Chinese defence installations on disputed islands in the region,” he said. “Rather it is an opportunity to show the flag, a marker of British sovereignty, which says it isn’t just the US undertaking these operations and upholding the rule of law.”

“英國這并不是在炫耀武力，我認為他們不會駛入中國在該地區(qū)有爭議島嶼上的防衛(wèi)設施的12海里范圍內(nèi)。”他說，“相反，這是一個展示國旗——英國主權標志——的機會，相當于表示，不只是美國在執(zhí)行這些行動和維護法治。”

Mr Williamson told Australia’s state broadcaster that there was a need for vigilance over “any form of malign intent” from China, as the country seeks to become a superpower.

威廉森對澳大利亞國家廣播電視機構表示，在中國尋求成為超級大國之際，需要警惕來自中國的“任何形式的惡意”。

“Australia [and] Britain see China as a country of great opportunities, but we shouldn't be blind to the ambition that China has and we've got to defend our national security interests,” he said.

他說：“澳大利亞(和)英國視中國為一個擁有巨大機遇的國家，但我們不應無視中國的野心，我們必須捍衛(wèi)我們的國家安全利益。”

Shen Dingli, professor of international relations at Fudan University in Shanghai, noted that while the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea allowed for naval ships of one country to pass peacefully through territorial waters of another country, “what Britain thinks of as peaceful, maybe China will not think of as peaceful”.

上海復旦大學國際關系教授沈丁立指出，雖然《聯(lián)合國海洋法公約》(UN Convention on the Law of the Sea)允許一個國家的海軍艦只以和平方式穿越另一個國家的領海，但“英國認為的和平方式，或許中國不認為是和平的”。

Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Renmin University in Beijing, said the US, Britain and Australia shared a common position on the South China Sea, which contrasted with China’s.

北京的中國人民大學國際關系教授時殷弘表示，美國、英國和澳大利亞在南中國海問題上持共同立場，這一立場與中國的立場差異明顯。

“We can’t take this statement as a formal commitment but if it really happened then it would have a very bad influence on China-Britain relations,” he said. “China might take some retaliatory steps with regards to trade.”

“我們不能把這一聲明當成正式承諾，但如果它真的發(fā)生了，那將對中英關系產(chǎn)生很壞的影響。”他說，“中國可能會在貿(mào)易方面采取一些報復措施。”

Mr Shi said that so far only the US has performed freedom of navigation operations) in the South China Sea, although there has been debate about whether the Australian navy would also get involved.

時殷弘表示，迄今為止，只有美國在南中國海實施了航行自由行動，盡管圍繞澳大利亞海軍是否也會參與進來有過一些爭論。