美國與越南關係轉暖 武器禁令取消
Barack Obama is the third US president to visit Vietnam since the withdrawal of US troops in 1973. His trip this week is nonetheless replete with historic resonance as Washington consolidates its strategic pivot to Asia and makes common cause with a former wartime enemy against China’s aggressive claims to the South China Sea.
巴拉克•奧巴馬(Barack Obama)是自1973年美國從越南撤軍以來第三位訪問該國的美國總統。然而，他本週的越南之行充滿了歷史回聲。目前華盛頓方面正在強化其“重返亞洲”戰略，與當年戰場上的敵手共同應對中國對南中國海(South China Sea)咄咄逼人的領土要求。
The Vietnamese government hopes that the visit will provide the occasion for a repeal of the US arms embargo, partially eased in 2014 but which remains one of the last vestiges of the war. That could be a step too far.
越南政府希望，奧巴馬的訪問將提供美國完全解除對越南軍火禁運的場合（2014年，這項禁運已部分解除，但仍是那場戰爭的最後遺產之一）。那可能是過高的期望。
That Vietnam is seeking closer military co-operation from Washington already carries potent symbolism. It signals the changes taking place as a result of Mr Obama’s determination to devote more of his country’s diplomatic, military and economic resources towards strengthening ties in Asia and countering China’s regional ambitions.
越南尋求加強與華盛頓方面的軍事聯繫，已然具有強大的象徵意義。它標誌着奧巴馬決心投入美國更多的外交、軍事和經濟資源，加強與亞洲相關國家的聯繫、對抗中國的地區性企圖所帶來的變化。
There are even indications that the Vietnamese are willing to consider the use by the US navy of their former wartime base at Cam Ranh Bay. As a measure of warming relations there could be few stronger pointers.
目前甚至有跡象表明，越南方面願意考慮讓美國海軍使用他們在戰爭年代用過的金蘭灣(Cam Ranh Bay)基地。作爲兩國關係轉暖的衡量標準，很少有比這更強烈的象徵了。
There is a danger however that lifting the arms embargo now would play into the Chinese narrative that it is the US that is militarising the South China Sea. It also risks provoking Beijing at a sensitive moment, ahead of a forthcoming international ruling in The Hague on the legality of Chinese claims to waters that the Philippines considers its own.
然而，如今解除對越南軍火禁運的危險在於，此舉將有利於中國方面的敘述，即美國正在軍事化南中國海。另外，此舉可能在一個敏感時刻激怒北京方面，海牙國際法院即將針對中國對菲律賓認爲是其專屬經濟區的水域提出的領土要求的合法性作出裁決。
While supporting the legitimate security concerns of its allies, Washington needs to be careful to make the case based on law, rather than on the balance of forces. The Hague ruling will shed legal light on China’s territorial ambitions which make much of South East Asia uneasy.
在支持其盟國正當安全關切的同時，華盛頓方面需要基於法律（而非力量平衡）採取行動。海牙國際法院的裁決將從法律上揭示中國的領土企圖。這種企圖令東南亞大部分國家感到不安。
Mr Obama should also be wary of being seen to reward a regime with a human rights record that has shown little signs of improvement. While Vietnam has made extraordinary progress in lifting millions out of poverty, it remains one of the most repressive political environments on earth.
奧巴馬也應當謹防被視爲獎賞一個人權記錄沒有什麼改善跡象的政權。儘管越南在讓數百萬人脫貧方面取得非凡進展，但該國仍有着地球上最令人壓抑的政治環境之一。
John McCain, the US senator and former prisoner of war argues that sales of technology for Vietnam’s maritime security should be unrestricted, but the transfer of other arms should be case by case and linked to human rights. This seems to be a balanced approach.
曾當過戰俘的美國參議員約翰•麥凱恩(John McCain)辯稱，爲保護越南海上安全而對該國出售技術不應受到限制，但轉讓其他軍火則應採取具體問題具體分析的辦法，並與人權問題掛鉤。這似乎是一個平衡的方式。
President Obama has made engaging with difficult regimes a trademark of his administration, from Cuba, to Myanmar and Iran. He has also sought reconciliation in places where the US legacy remains contentious. That the US and Vietnam are forging stronger ties is something to be celebrated.
奧巴馬總統已把同不好相處的政權（古巴、緬甸和伊朗）打交道變成了他領導的政府的一個標誌。他也尋求在美國介入歷史仍有爭議的地方實現和解。美國與越南加強雙邊關係是一件值得慶祝之事。
While laying old conflicts to rest, however, Mr Obama must be alert to the dangers of stoking new ones down the line.
然而，在告別舊衝突的同時，奧巴馬必須要警惕，不要再引燃新衝突。
