南中國海引分歧 東盟防長會議未能發佈聯合聲明

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.

中國與美國之間的對立蔓延到了週三召開的一次重大的亞洲防長會議上。由於各方代表未能就有關南中國海(South China Sea)問題的措辭達成一致，在會議上發表一項聯合聲明的計劃被取消了。

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.

一名美國高級防務官員表示，由於中國遊說反對提及南中國海爭議，亞太地區防長未能就發佈一份有關地區安全問題的聯合聲明達成一致。

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.

與會官員說，聯合簽字儀式被取消了。按原計劃，東盟(ASEAN)、美國、中國和其他6個亞太國家的防長將一起出席簽字儀式。

“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.

“是否舉行簽字儀式存疑，因爲中國進行了遊說，反對在最終聯合聲明提到南中國海問題，”該美國官員說。“可以理解的是，許多東盟國家認爲這是不合適的。”這名官員後來證實，會議將不會發表聯合聲明。

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.

發生這場外交衝突的一週前，一艘美國軍艦駛入了南中國海一個人工島嶼的12英里海域，中國聲稱對該島擁有主權，並正在島上建設一座可能具有軍事用途的機場。

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.

在週二晚的一次會議上，中國防長常萬全將軍告訴美國防長阿什頓慍祓(Ashton Carter)，美軍的動作是“非法的”，中國對美軍在南中國海的行動有“底線”。卡特表示，美軍將繼續在“國際法允許的一切地方”、包括南中國海進行航行。

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.

在東盟成員國中，馬來西亞、菲律賓、越南和文萊在南中國海與中國存在領土爭議，其中多國政府對中國在過去18個月裏的快速填海造島行動表示了極大的關切。

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年在柬埔寨召開的一次東盟會議，結束時也因爲無法在有關南中國海問題上的措辭達成一致，而沒有發佈共同聲明。有說法稱，中國對一些東盟成員國施加了強大的外交壓力。

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

記者無法立即聯繫到參加吉隆坡防長會議的中國官員進行置評。

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”.

卡特的一名隨行高官表示，會議各方在聯合聲明上的分歧“反映出中國在南中國海的填海造島和軍事化行動在亞太地區造成了分裂”。這名官員接着說，“在我們看來，沒有聯合聲明，也好於發佈一份避談中國在南中國海行動這一重要問題的聲明”。