中国在南海岛屿上的建设工程进展迅速

China is racing ahead with construction projects on reclaimed land in the South China Sea, new satellite images show, with at least two major projects now close to completion.

新的卫星照片显示，中国在南中国海填海所造土地上的建设工程进展领先于其他国家。目前，至少有两个重要工程已接近完工。

A 3km airstrip capable of handling combat jets on Fiery Cross Reef is almost fully built, a step some analyst say may presage an attempt to claim the airspace over the disputed waters .

在永暑礁(Fiery Cross Reef)上，一条能起降作战飞机的3公里长跑道接近完工。一些分析人士称，这预示着中国将试图声称对这一争议水域上方的空域拥有主权。

A year and a half ago Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands was a mere lump of coral but it is now a small island, following a concerted effort by high-tech dredging barges.

一年半前，斯普拉特利群岛（Spratly Islands，中国称南沙群岛——译者注）中的永暑礁还只是一块珊瑚礁。如今，在众多高科技吹沙船的一致努力下，永暑礁已经变成一座小岛。

Meanwhile, a port has been added to facilities at Johnson South Reef, another reclaimed island in the Spratlys, with up to six security and surveillance towers under construction.

与此同时，在斯普拉特利群岛另一个填海造出的岛屿“约翰逊南礁”（Johnson South，中国称赤瓜礁）上，在已有的设施之外又建成了一个港口，还有多达六个安防监控塔在建设当中。

Fiery Cross and Johnson South are among just over half a dozen submerged rocks and coral atolls that China has dredged into islands in the past 18 months, an effort Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, likened in April to “a great wall of sand”.

过去18个月里，中国已将包括永暑礁和约翰逊南礁在内的六七个暗礁和珊瑚环礁吹填成岛。今年4月，美国太平洋舰队司令哈里•哈里斯(Harry Harris)曾将此比作“一道沙制的长城”。

China insists the facilities it is building on the islands are for peaceful purposes but western analysts say there is clear evidence China plans to use them as military bases in an effort to back its hegemonic maritime claims in the South China Sea. China claims sovereignty over 90 per cent of the Sea.

中国坚称其在这些岛上建设的设施是用于和平目的。不过，西方分析人士表示，有明确证据表明中国计划将这些设施用作军事基地，试图以此来支撑其在南中国海的霸道的海上领土主张。中国声称对南中国海90%以上海域拥有主权。

US officials say they believe the airstrip on Fiery Cross Reef could eventually base fighter jets that could enforce an Air Defence Identification Zone over the South China Sea, if China were to claim one. China claimed such an ADIZ over the East China Sea in November 2013, provoking a diplomatic confrontation with the US and Japan.

美国官员表示，他们相信永暑礁上的飞机跑道可能最终会被用作战斗机基地。一旦中国在南中国海上空划设防空识别区，这些战斗机可能会被用于该防空识别区的执法。2013年11月，中国曾在东中国海上空划设了类似的防空识别区，引发了与美日两国的外交对抗。

The latest photographs of the airstrip were taken by DigitalGlobe, a satellite imagery company, and published by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

上述跑道的最新照片由卫星图像公司DigitalGlobe摄制，并由华盛顿战略与国际研究中心(Center for Strategic and International Studies)旗下的亚洲海事透明度倡议组织（Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative，简称AMTI）发布。

AMTI said the airstrip was being paved and marked, while an apron and taxi way had been added adjacent to the runway. Two helipads, up to 10 satellite communications antennas and one possible radar tower were visible on Fiery Cross Reef, it said.

AMTI表示，该跑道正在铺设和标记当中。同时，跑道旁已增添了停机坪和滑行道。该组织表示，永暑礁上可以看到两个直升机坪、多达十个卫星通信天线和一个可能是雷达塔的装置。

Last month China’s foreign ministry said it was nearing completion of some features in the South China Sea, an apparent effort to mollify criticism of its building works. However, the statement appeared to leave open the possibility that work would start or continue on other features.

上月，中国外交部曾表示中国在南中国海的部分工程接近完工。此举似乎是为了平息其造岛工程引发的批评。不过，这一声明似乎也为中国启动或继续其他工程的可能性预留了空间。

“Basically what they are saying is that they are nearing the end of this phase, and they’ll start the next phase whenever they want,” said one western diplomat in Beijing.

一名驻北京的西方外交官说：“基本上，他们是在说现阶段的工作接近尾声，并且会在需要时启动下阶段的工作。”