朝鮮利用中美分歧推進核計劃

North Korea’s latest nuclear test has been met with the usual chorus of outrage.

朝鮮最新一次核試驗遭遇了一如既往的一致憤怒。

It showed maniacal recklessness, said Park Geun-hye, South Korea’s president. Absolutely unacceptable was the reaction of Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister. China strongly opposed Friday’s test, according to an official statement.

韓國總統朴槿惠(Park Geun-hye)稱，這顯示出了朝鮮瘋狂的魯莽；日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)的迴應是這絕對不可接受；中國官方發佈聲明，對上週五的核試驗表示堅決反對。

There is strong emotion behind such condemnations.

在如此譴責的背後是強烈的不滿情緒。

But they are unlikely to cut much ice with Kim Jong Un, the North Korean dictator whose militarised regime sees the US and South Korea as enemies and releases mocked-up videos of Seoul being hit by Pyongyang’s rocket attacks.

但譴責對朝鮮獨裁者金正恩(Kim Jong Un)來說不太可能產生太大作用，金正恩的軍事化政權將美國和韓國視爲敵人，還發布了模擬首爾遭朝鮮火箭攻擊的視頻。

Mr Kim’s fulminations have previously described Americans as imperialist aggressors and cannibals who seek pleasure in slaughter.

金正恩之前曾在譴責中把美國人形容爲帝國主義侵略者和在屠殺中尋求快感的食人族。

Vehement rhetoric, therefore, should not obscure the fundamental fracture within which Pyongyang’s menace has incubated.

因此，激烈的言辭不應該掩蓋一項根本性的破裂，正是這種破裂孕育了朝鮮的威脅。

Decades of rivalry and mistrust between China and the US, the only two countries with the muscle to shape North Korea’s destiny, have thwarted any concerted attempt to impose meaningful pressure on Pyongyang to drop its nuclear programme.

僅有的有實力影響朝鮮命運的兩國——中國和美國之間長達數十年的競爭和互不信任，挫敗了一切向平壤施加有效壓力迫使其放棄核計劃的協調努力。

Various attempts by Washington and Beijing to paper over their own fractious relations and work together to stall the nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula have proved ineffectual.

華盛頓和北京方面爲掩飾其變化無常的關係和共同阻止朝鮮半島核進程而展開的各種嘗試均告失敗。

The six rounds of the six-party talks between 2003 and 2009 were, in particular, a delusion that succeeded only in handing Pyongyang ample time to upgrade its technology while talking about peace.

特別是，2003年至2009年期間舉行的六輪六方會談只是一種錯覺，唯一的結果是給了平壤充分的時間一邊大談和平一邊升級技術。

These technological upgrades have reached a critical level.

朝鮮核技術升級已達到關鍵水平。

Not only did Pyongyang’s test on Friday demonstrate a bone-chilling capability: the explosion had an estimated yield of 10 kilotons, not much less than the 15 kiloton bomb dropped on Hiroshima. It also — if Pyongyang’s official television news is to be believed — showed progress towards being able to attach such a warhead on to a missile.

上週五的核試驗不僅表明其已具備令人膽寒的能力——爆炸當量估計爲1萬噸，與廣島原子彈爆炸1.5萬噸的當量相差不多——還顯示了（如果平壤官方電視臺的新聞可信的話）朝鮮在導彈上裝載核彈頭的進展。

The nuclear test was the fifth in an accelerating programme that has run alongside multiple tests of mid-range missiles that can be fired from trucks and submarines.

此次核試驗是朝鮮不斷加速的核計劃的第五次試驗，同時朝鮮還進行了多次可以從卡車和潛艇上發射的中程導彈試驗。

The latest three ballistic missiles were fired in the direction of Japan on the final day of the G20 summit held in China this month, where world leaders discussed regional security.

最新的三枚彈道導彈是在本月中國舉辦的二十國集團(G20)峯會的最後一天向着日本的方向發射的。全球領導人在G20峯會上討論了地區安全問題。

Washington has issued only an initial reaction to the nuclear test as President Barack Obama returned home after a week in Asia.

由於美國總統巴拉克•奧巴馬(Barack Obama)在結束爲期一週的亞洲之行後剛剛返回美國，華盛頓方面僅對朝鮮核試驗作出了初步反應。

The president indicated he would continue to consult our allies and partners in the days ahead to ensure provocative actions from North Korea are met with serious consequences, said Josh Earnest, White House press secretary.

總統表示他將在未來數日繼續與我們的盟友和夥伴國商議，確保朝鮮的挑釁行爲會遭受嚴重後果，白宮新聞祕書喬希•歐內斯特(Josh Earnest)表示。

But the reality is that, as with other incendiary issues in Asia including territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas, the US and China are on opposing sides of a deepening rivalry that is entrenching split loyalties across Asia.

但事實是，正如亞洲其他易爆問題（包括東中國海和南中國海上的領土糾紛）一樣，美國和中國在日益加深的競爭關係中處於對立面，這加劇了整個亞洲在站隊上的分裂。