南中国海引分歧 东盟防长会议未能发布联合声明

Rivalry between China and the US spilled over into a major Asian defence ministers’ meeting on Wednesday when plans to issue a joint statement were cancelled after failure to reach an agreement on language about the South China Sea.

中国与美国之间的对立蔓延到了周三召开的一次重大的亚洲防长会议上。由于各方代表未能就有关南中国海(South China Sea)问题的措辞达成一致，在会议上发表一项联合声明的计划被取消了。

A senior US defence official said the Asia-Pacific defence ministers had not been able to agree on a planned joint declaration about regional security issues after China lobbied against any mention of disputes in the South China Sea.

一名美国高级防务官员表示，由于中国游说反对提及南中国海争议，亚太地区防长未能就发布一份有关地区安全问题的联合声明达成一致。

A joint signing ceremony, which was to have brought together the defence leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the US, China and six other countries from the region, had been cancelled, officials said.

与会官员说，联合签字仪式被取消了。按原计划，东盟(ASEAN)、美国、中国和其他6个亚太国家的防长将一起出席签字仪式。

“The reason the signing ceremony is in doubt is because the Chinese lobbied to keep any reference to the South China Sea out of the final joint declaration,” the US official said. “Understandably a number of Asean countries felt that was inappropriate.” The official later confirmed there would be no statement.

“是否举行签字仪式存疑，因为中国进行了游说，反对在最终联合声明提到南中国海问题，”该美国官员说。“可以理解的是，许多东盟国家认为这是不合适的。”这名官员后来证实，会议将不会发表联合声明。

The diplomatic flare-up comes a week after a US warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island in the South China Sea that is claimed by China and where it is constructing an airfield with potential military use.

发生这场外交冲突的一周前，一艘美国军舰驶入了南中国海一个人工岛屿的12英里海域，中国声称对该岛拥有主权，并正在岛上建设一座可能具有军事用途的机场。

At a meeting on Tuesday evening, Chinese defence minister General Chang Wanquan told his US counterpart Ashton Carter that the mission had been “illegal” and that China had a “bottom line” when it came to US exercises in the South China Sea. Mr Carter said that the US would continue to sail “wherever international law allows”, including the South China Sea.

在周二晚的一次会议上，中国防长常万全将军告诉美国防长阿什顿愠祓(Ashton Carter)，美军的动作是“非法的”，中国对美军在南中国海的行动有“底线”。卡特表示，美军将继续在“国际法允许的一切地方”、包括南中国海进行航行。

Among Asean members, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Brunei all have territorial claims in the South China Sea that are disputed by China, and many of those governments have expressed considerable concern at Beijing’s rapid programme of land reclamation in the area over the past 18 months.

在东盟成员国中，马来西亚、菲律宾、越南和文莱在南中国海与中国存在领土争议，其中多国政府对中国在过去18个月里的快速填海造岛行动表示了极大的关切。

A 2012 Asean meeting in Cambodia ended without a common statement after a similar disagreement over language about the South China Sea, amid claims that China had placed heavy diplomatic pressure on some members of the group.

2012年在柬埔寨召开的一次东盟会议，结束时也因为无法在有关南中国海问题上的措辞达成一致，而没有发布共同声明。有说法称，中国对一些东盟成员国施加了强大的外交压力。

Chinese officials at the defence ministers’ meeting in Kuala Lumpur could not immediately be reached for comment.

记者无法立即联系到参加吉隆坡防长会议的中国官员进行置评。

A senior US official travelling with Mr Carter said the disagreement over the statement “reflects the divide that China’s reclamation and militarisation in the South China Sea has caused in the region”. The official added that “in our view, no statement is better than one that avoids the important issue of China’s action in the South China Sea”.

卡特的一名随行高官表示，会议各方在联合声明上的分歧“反映出中国在南中国海的填海造岛和军事化行动在亚太地区造成了分裂”。这名官员接着说，“在我们看来，没有联合声明，也好于发布一份避谈中国在南中国海行动这一重要问题的声明”。