中国先进武器在中东战场试身手
In recent weeks, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have fired volleys of what are widely thought to be the Chinese-designed C-801 or C-802A anti-ship missiles at US warships in the Gulf of Aden.
近几周，也门胡塞(Houthi)叛军向亚丁湾的美国军舰发动了炮火攻击，各方普遍认为，他们使用的是中国设计的C-801或C-802A反舰导弹。
While no American vessel has been hit, one missile damaged a high-speed ferry operated by the United Arab Emirates. No casualties have been reported.
虽然没有美国船只被击中，但阿联酋一艘快速运输船被一枚导弹毁损，所幸没有人员伤亡报告。
With Saudi-led air strikes on Yemen contributing to a humanitarian crisis and thousands already dead, the Obama administration and other western governments are under pressure to halt arms sales to Riyadh.
以沙特为首针对也门发起的空袭已造成数千人丧生，引发了一场人道主义危机，奥巴马(Obama)政府及其他西方政府受到了停止向利雅得出售武器的压力。
Meanwhile, Chinese arms are playing an increasing role in the conflict.
与此同时，中国武器在这场冲突中派上了越来越大的用场。
The missile attacks off Yemen have raised the profile of a new generation of Chinese strategic weapons, many of which are being used in combat for the first time in dirty wars throughout the Middle East and Africa.
从也门方向发起的导弹攻击提升了中国新一代战略武器的名气——在中东和非洲各地的肮脏战争中，许多中国新式武器首次被用于战斗。
While low-tech hardware such as the Type-56 assault rifle, a variant of the Russian AK-47, have been widely used for decades, the Middle East is becoming the proving ground for a new generation of advanced Chinese weapons such as missiles, aircraft and drones.
几十年来，诸如56式突击步枪（苏联AK-47突击步枪的中国仿制版）等低技术含量的中国武器就已被广泛使用，但目前中东正成为中国新一代先进武器如导弹、飞机和无人机等的试验场。
The Chinese and many other navies would be quite impressed with the amount of destruction [the anti-ship missile] caused on the high-speed ferry, said Rick Fisher, senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center in Washington.
华盛顿国际评估和战略中心(International Strategy and Assessment Center)高级研究员里克.费舍尔(Rick Fisher)表示，
And this is only the beginning of a greater use of Chinese weapons in the Middle East and elsewhere.
中国及其他多国海军将会对那艘（被反舰导弹击中的）快速运输船的毁损程度感到印象深刻，而这只是开始，中国武器在中东及其他地区将得到越来越广泛的使用。
In the five years to 2015, China overtook Germany to become the world’s third-largest arms trader as arms exports rose 143 per cent, according to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
根据斯德哥尔摩国际和平研究所(Stockholm International Peace Research Institute)汇编数据，在截至2015年的五年里，中国超过德国成为全球第三大武器贸易国，期间其武器出口增长了143%。
The US remains the biggest arms exporter.
美国仍是最大武器出口国。
The attack on the US warships was good advertising, said Col Yue Gang, a retired officer in the People’s Liberation Army.
中国人民解放军(PLA)退役上校岳刚表示，这次美国军舰遭受到的攻击是很好的广告。
The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, which makes the missiles, declined to comment.
制造这些导弹的中国航天科工集团公司(CASIC)对此不予置评。
Gary Li, a Beijing-based consultant for APCO Worldwide, said Chinese arms makers had become used to seeing their weapons on YouTube videos or TV news.
安可顾问公司(APCO Worldwide)驻北京的Gary Li表示，中国武器制造商已渐渐习惯在YouTube或电视新闻上看到他们的武器。
The only way Chinese weapons can be tested in combat is in regional small wars, he said.
他说：中国武器获得实战检验的唯一途径是在地区性小规模战争中。
If the weapons work, it’s a great advertisement.
如果这些武器管用，就是很棒的广告。
If they don’t, this can be blamed on local operators.
如果没有，就可以归咎于当地战斗人员。
This is something all arms manufacturers do.
所有武器制造商都这么干。
The very fact Chinese kit is starting to appear in conflicts around the world is good publicity for them.
中国武器开始在世界各地的冲突中亮相，这本身就能起到很好的宣传效果。
Until now, China’s largest arms client has been Pakistan, which has used drones and a jointly produced fighter aircraft, the J-17, against Islamist militants in South Waziristan.
到目前为止，巴基斯坦一直是中国出口武器的最大客户。在对南瓦济里斯坦(South Waziristan)伊斯兰武装分子的打击中，巴方使用了无人机和中巴联合生产的JF-17战斗机（中国称为枭龙，代号FC-1——译者注）。
One attraction for Islamabad is reliability of supply.
对伊斯兰堡来说，中国武器的一个优点是供应的可靠性。
This year alone, the US Congress cancelled $430m in subsidies for the purchase by Islamabad of eight F-16s, saying Pakistan had not done enough to fight militants.
仅在今年，美国国会就取消了为巴基斯坦购买8架F-16战机提供4.3亿美元补贴，理由是巴基斯坦没有采取足够有力的措施打击武装分子。
The US has a congress but China doesn’t, said a senior Pakistani official.
美国有个国会，中国没有，一名巴基斯坦高官表示，
The Chinese don’t interfere in other people’s internal affairs as the Americans do.
中国不干涉别国内政，但美国喜欢这样做。
What good is American technology if they pull the rug from under your feet unexpectedly?
美国技术有什么好的？——如果他们会出其不意给你来个釜底抽薪的话。
China has not signed the 2014 Arms Trade Treaty, which supposedly limits transfer of arms to governments that could use them for war crimes.
中国目前没有签署联合国2014年生效的《武器贸易条约》(Arms Trade Treaty)，该条约限制向可能将武器用于战争罪行的政府提供武器。
The US has signed but not ratified the treaty.
美国虽已签署，但尚未批准该条约。
Another advantage for arms importers is in the price.
对武器进口方来说，中国武器的另一项优势是价格。
Pakistan and China have not publicly disclosed the cost of a J-17, but western officials believe it is half the price of a similar western aircraft.
中巴两国没有公开披露JF-17战机的价格，但西方官员认为其价格只有西方类似战机的一半。
China has also sold its CH-4 drone — visually identical to the US General Atomics Reaper drone — to countries to which the US reportedly refuses to sell drones, such as Iraq, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
中国还将彩虹4无人机——外观神似美国通用原子公司(General Atomics)的死神(Reaper)无人机——出售给伊拉克、尼日利亚、沙特阿拉伯和巴基斯坦等国，据报道，美国拒绝向这些国家出售无人机。
Questions about the combat effectiveness of Chinese weapons remain.
中国武器的战斗力仍然令人抱有疑问。
Their combat record is so limited it is hard to make a comparison [with US weapons], said Peter Singer, an expert on drone warfare at the New America Foundation in Washington.
华盛顿新美国基金会(New America Foundation)的无人机作战专家彼得.辛格(Peter Singer)说：它们的作战记录非常有限，很难（与美国武器）进行比较。
While most Chinese arms are sold to governments, videos suggest that some advanced weapons find their way into the hands of militant groups in Syria.
中国武器主要卖给政府，但有视频显示，部分先进武器会流入叙利亚武装组织的手中。
While successes have been trumpeted by dealers, failures are still common.
虽然军火商吹嘘中国武器的威力，但失误却很常见。
Chinese commentators are quick to say that what is being supplied to the Middle East is far from their best equipment.
中国评论家很快回应称，目前为中东提供的武器远非他们最好的装备。
