中國啓動海上浮動堡壘計劃 Chinese launch floating fortress project
Floating fortresses, straight from the pages of George Orwell and favoured by evil geniuses with a penchant for white Angora cats, may soon exist outside the world of post-apocalyptic fiction and James Bond films.
源自喬治攠威爾(George Orwell)的小說，被酷愛白色安哥拉貓的邪惡天才所青睞的“浮動堡壘”，或將很快存在於末日後科幻小說和詹姆斯邦德(James Bond)電影之外。
Two Chinese companies say they are to build platforms as long as 3.2km that could host airstrips, docks, helipads, barracks or even “comprehensive security bases”, in the words of one company executive.
有兩家中國公司表示，它們將修建長達3.2公里的平臺，上面可容納飛機跑道、碼頭、直升機停機坪、兵營甚或“綜合保障基地”——這是其中一家公司的高管的用詞。
For now, the structures remain within the realm of computer graphics, plastic dioramas and PowerPoint presentations. The companies emphasise their more peaceful potential as duty-free shopping centres and exotic tourist destinations.
目前，這種浮動平臺仍僅存在於計算機圖形、塑料模型和幻燈片演示中。兩家公司都強調它們在和平用途方面的潛力，比如作爲免稅購物中心和具有異國情調的旅遊目的地等。
But executives are open about the fact that there are also military applications for their projects, known as very large floating structures, which could one day become part of China’s naval armada.
但兩家公司的高管並不諱言這些項目也具有軍事用途，所謂的“超大型海上浮動平臺”可能終有一天能成爲中國海軍“無敵艦隊”的一部分。
The structures are dual-use, said Feng Jun, chairman of Hainan Offshore Industry, a company developing the technology. “So far these are only in the design and research phase.” The technology, still being developed worldwide, has been used mainly in the area of oil and gas, by companies such as Shell.
開發這一技術的海南遠海實業(Hainan Offshore Industry)董事長馮軍（音）稱，這種平臺體具有雙重用途，“到目前爲止，還都只是在設計和研究階段。”這種技術在世界上尚屬於發展之中，主要被殼牌(Shell)等公司用於石油和天然氣領域。
Structures akin to the floating fortresses of Nineteen Eighty-Four could be a fearsome complement to half a dozen newly created islands that Beijing has dredged out of the floor in the South China Sea. With airstrips, harbours and other facilities, these are aimed at buttressing China’s claim to 90 per cent of the sea, which is disputed by its neighbours as well as the US.
與《一九八四》(Nineteen Eighty-Four)中的“浮動堡壘”類似的平臺，將對中國政府在南中國海通過吹沙填海新造的六個島嶼起到強大的補充作用。擁有飛機跑道、港口和其他設施，這些浮動平臺的建造目的是增強中國對南中國海90%海域的主權主張，周邊的鄰國以及美國均對中國這種主張持異議。
While floating islands would be granted none of the sovereignty of real islands by international law, they could nonetheless be used to station aircraft or buttress the defences of the artificial islands.
按照國際法，“浮動島嶼”並不能獲得真正島嶼所享有的主權，但它們可以用於停放飛機或加強人工島嶼的防禦。
Hainan Offshore’s website refers to the potentially strategic use of its wares. “Under the increasingly complicated South China Sea situation,” it says in a company introduction, “Hainan Offshore Industry adheres to the principle ‘when the sovereignty of the state is challenged, time and tide wait for no man’.”
海南遠海實業的網站介紹了其平臺的潛在戰略用途。公司簡介中寫道：“面對日趨複雜的南海局勢，海南遠海實業股份有限公司秉承‘國家主權受到嚴峻挑戰，戰略需求時不我待!’宗旨。”
Deployment of a VLFS could test already tense relations in the region. “Planting one of these in the middle of the South China Sea would be a terribly provocative act,” said Richard Bitzinger, an authority on maritime security.
部署此類超大型海上浮動平臺或對本已緊張的地區關係造成考驗。海洋安全問題專家理查德畢辛格(Richard Bitzinger)說：“在南中國海的中間位置放置這樣一座超大型浮動平臺將是一種極具挑釁性的行爲。”
China’s military appears to have shown interest in VFLS projects. Hainan Offshore showed plastic models of a VLFS oil-drilling rig at a closed-door conference for military industry in July, hosted in Beijing by China’s State Administration of Science Technology and Industry for National Defence. In April, a photo of a closed-door forum sponsored by the China National Defence University and Peking University showed a People’s Liberation Army officer speaking at a podium in front of a large poster of a VLFS featuring an airstrip, though no information could be found on who he was or what he said. A spokesman for China’s defence ministry this week said he had never heard of any plans for procuring or using such structures.
中國軍方似乎已經對超大型海上浮動平臺項目表現出興趣。在中國國家國防科技工業局(SASTIND)今年7月舉行的一次軍工業閉門會議上，海南遠海實業展示了一款大型海上浮動石油鑽井平臺的塑料模型。今年4月，一張中國國防大學(China National Defence University)與北京大學(Peking University)聯合主辦的閉門論壇的照片顯示，一名人民解放軍(PLA)軍官在講臺上發言，身後的巨型展板上是一座擁有飛機跑道的大型海上浮動平臺，儘管我們不知道這位軍官是誰，說了什麼。但中國國防部發言人日前表示，他從未聽說過任何有關中國軍方獲取或使用此類平臺的計劃。
Jidong Development, a state-owned company listed on the Shenzhen stock exchange, confirmed it was contributing most of the Rmb3.7bn in research funding to the joint project.
在深圳證交所上市的國有企業冀東發展(Jidong Development)已證實，該公司將爲這一聯合項目所需的37億元人民幣研發經費提供大部分資金。
The first VFLS is being built at dry dock in Caofeidian near Beijing, Wang Shuyong, manager of a Jidong subsidiary, told local media. This VFLS would be used as a “deep sea comprehensive security base”. Mr Wang declined to comment when contacted by the FT.
冀東發展下屬一家子公司總經理王術永對當地媒體說，首座大型海上浮動平臺正在離北京不遠的曹妃甸的幹船塢中建造。這座浮動平臺將被用作“深海綜合保障基地”。英國《金融時報》記者聯繫到了王術永，但他拒絕置評。
The Caofeidian Industrial Zone mentions in its 2014 annual report that it is “helping the companies engaged in the VLFS project to file paperwork for factory planning and construction and use of the industrial coast, and promptly taking action to prepare for construction”.
曹妃甸工業區在其2014年年度報告中提到，該區正在幫助參與超大型海上浮動平臺項目的企業提交有關廠區規劃和建設以及工業海岸使用的申請文件，並將快速採取行動爲工程建設做好準備。
Still, experts say the structures — if built — are more likely to be large oil drilling rigs. But even then, they could change the maritime power dynamic. Last year China parked an oil-drilling platform in a section of the sea claimed by Vietnam, sparking a heated confrontation at sea between Chinese and Vietnamese fishing boats. The rig was later withdrawn.
儘管如此，專家稱這種平臺（如果建成的話）更可能像是大型石油鑽井平臺。但即使是這樣，它們也能夠改變海上力量對比。去年，中國在南中國海一處與越南存在爭議的海域部署了一座石油鑽井平臺，引發中越漁船間的一場激烈對峙。該平臺後來被撤回。
In any case, Mr Bitzinger doubts they would have much military value in a conflict. They would be “expensive and hard to move around”, he said, adding that China would be better off with more aircraft carriers.
不管怎樣，畢辛格懷疑這種浮動平臺在衝突中能發揮多少軍事價值。他說，它們“造價昂貴、移動困難”。他認爲，擁有更多航空母艦對中國來說可能更好。
