中俄将在南中国海举行联合军演

The Chinese and Russian navies will hold joint exercises in the South China Sea in September, the Chinese defence ministry said on Thursday.

中国国防部周四表示，中俄海军将于9月在南中国海举行联合军事演习。

The announcement comes just two weeks after an international tribunal dismissed Beijing’s expansive claims in the region, in a ruling that the Beijing has vowed to ignore.

此时距一个国际仲裁庭否决中方在南中国海“扩张性”领土主张才过去两周，对于该裁决北京方面表示拒不接受。

Speaking at the Chinese defence ministry’s monthly briefing, Yang Yujun described the exercise as “routine”, adding that it was “not directed against any third parties”.

中国国防部新闻发言人杨宇军在本月的例行记者会上形容此次演习为“例行性”演习，并补充称“演习不针对第三方”。

The ministry did not provide any further details about the planned exercises. Last year, the Chinese and Russian navies conducted joint operations in the Sea of Japan.

他没有透露有关此次演习计划的更多细节。去年，中俄海军在日本海举行了联合军事演习。

The decision to hold exercises in the South China Sea is likely to exacerbate tensions in the region amid a flurry of activity by Beijing in the wake of the tribunal’s ruling on July 12.

在7月12日上述仲裁庭作出裁决之后，中方进行了一系列活动，此时做出在南中国海举行军事演习的决定，可能会加剧地区紧张。

Chinese diplomats successfully persuaded a meeting of Asean foreign ministers this week not to refer to the ruling in a joint statement. While Beijing is embroiled in South China Sea disputes with Asean countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia, it has been able to count on support from other members of the bloc that are heavily dependent on Chinese investment, such as Cambodia and Laos.

中国外交官在本周的东盟(Asean)外长会议上成功说服各国在联合声明中只字不提南海仲裁案。尽管中国与多个东盟国家（包括菲律宾、越南和马来西亚）在南中国海上都有争端，但是它可以得到一些高度依赖中国投资的东盟成员国（比如柬埔寨和老挝）的支持。

John Kerry, US secretary of state, also attended the Asean meeting in Vientiane, the Laos capital, where he urged China and its neighbours to renew diplomatic efforts.

美国国务卿约翰•克里(John Kerry)也出席了于老挝首都万象召开的东盟外长会议。在会议上，克里敦促中国及其邻国恢复外交努力。

In a show of force just days ahead of the July 12 ruling, the Chinese navy held exercises in the South China Sea. China’s air force later said that it would conduct regular patrols across the region.

在仲裁结果出炉前几天，为了显示武力，中国海军就已经在南中国海上举行了军事演习。中国空军随后表示，将在该区域进行常态化战斗巡逻。

Mr Yang declined to elaborate on the air patrols but reiterated that China had a sovereign right to establish an “air defence identification zone” over the region if it chose.

杨宇军拒绝详细说明航空巡逻计划，但是重申了中国拥有自愿选择在该区域划设“防空识别区”的主权权利。

In 2013, the Chinese military declared an air-defence identification zone over the East China Sea, where Beijing has overlapping maritime claims with Japan and South Korea.

2013年，中国军方宣布在东中国海划设防空识别区，在该区域中方与日本及韩国存在重叠的领海主张。

US navy spy planes, operating out of bases in Japan, conduct regular patrols of the Chinese coastline. Admiral John Richardson, the head of the US navy, said on a visit to Beijing last week that his ships would also continue their periodic “freedom of navigation” exercises near contested islands.

美国海军侦察机从日本基地起飞，对中国海岸线进行定期巡逻。美国海军作战部长约翰•理查森上将(Admiral John Richardson)在上周访问北京时称，美国军舰也将继续在争议岛屿附近进行定期的“航行自由”行动。

The tribunal held that, regardless of who actually owns contested reefs, many of which have been transformed into man-made islands by China and other claimants, the features do not entitle their owners to expansive “exclusive economic zones”.

上述仲裁庭认为，无论哪国实际拥有争议性岛礁——其中很多岛礁已经被中国和其他主权声索国改造为人工岛——其所有国并不因此具有主张扩张性的“专属经济区”的权利。

Through its effective control of such islands, some of which are now equipped with airstrips, the tribunal ruled that China had illegally blocked the Philippines from developing fisheries and potential energy reserves in its own EEZ.

凭借对此类人工岛屿的有效控制，其中一些岛屿上如今建有飞机跑道，该仲裁庭裁定，中国非法阻止了菲律宾在本国专属经济区内开发渔业和潜在能源资源。