英国计划下月在南中国海实施航行自由行动

Britain has outlined plans to sail a warship through contested Asian waters next month in a mission aimed at asserting maritime freedom of navigation rights at a time of tension between China and the US.

英国已制定了下月派一艘军舰穿越亚洲有争议水域的计划，在中美之间关系紧张之际，英国此举意在宣示海上的航行自由。

The naval operation in the South China Sea will be conducted by HMS Sutherland, an anti-submarine frigate that is en route to Australia, Gavin Williamson, UK defence secretary, said on Tuesday during a visit to Sydney.

英国国防大臣加文•威廉森(Gavin Williamson)周二在访问悉尼时表示，英国海军在南中国海的这次行动将由反潜护卫舰“萨瑟兰号”(HMS Sutherland)实施，该舰目前正驶向澳大利亚。

“She’ll be sailing through the South China Sea [on the way home] and making it clear our navy has a right to do that,” said Mr Williamson.

“她将(在回程中)穿越南中国海，并明确昭示我们的海军有权这样做，”威廉森表示。

Asked about Mr Williamson’s statement, China’s foreign ministry said that there was “no problem of freedom of navigation or overflight in the South China Sea. The situation there is also improving. We hope that non-regional countries can respect the efforts made by regional ones.”

当被问及中方如何评论威廉森的言论时，中国外交部表示：“南海的航行和飞越自由不存在任何问题，南海局势也正日益向好的方向发展。我们希望有关方面，特别是域外国家，能够尊重地区国家的努力。”

In an interview published in The Australian newspaper, Mr Williamson said it was important for Britain, the US, Australia and other countries to “assert our values” in the South China Sea — a vital trade route and lucrative fishing area that Beijing claims as its own territorial waters.

《澳大利亚人报》(The Australian)发表了其对威廉森的采访。威廉森在采访中表示，英国、美国、澳大利亚和其他国家在南中国海“宣示我们的价值观”具有重要意义。南中国海是一条重要的贸易航道，也是利润丰厚的渔区，北京方面主张南中国海主权属于中国。

He did not clarify whether HMS Sutherland would sail within 12 nautical miles of disputed territory or artificial islands built by China — an activity practised by US warships that has angered Beijing. But Mr Williamson said Britain “absolutely supported” the US approach on freedom of navigation and its actions in the South China Sea.

威廉森并未阐明“萨瑟兰号”是否将驶入有争议领土或中国所建人工岛的12海里范围内——美国军舰此前实施过这样的行动，北京方面对此愤怒不已。不过，威廉森表示，英国“绝对支持”美国在航行自由上的立场及其在南中国海的行动。

“World dynamics are shifting so greatly. The US can only concentrate on so many things at once,’’ said Mr Williamson. “The US is looking for other countries to do more. This is a great opportunity for the UK and Australia to do more, to exercise leadership.”

“世界形势正在发生巨变。美国一次只能专注于这么多事情。”威廉森说，“美国希望其他国家做更多事情。对英国和澳大利亚而言，这是一个做更多事情、发挥领导力的好机会。”

The UK operation in the South China Sea follows a US freedom of navigation mission last month within 12 nautical miles of Scarborough Shoal, a rocky outcrop that has been the subject of a dispute between China and the Philippines.

上月，美国在斯卡伯勒浅滩(Scarborough Shoal，中国称黄岩岛——译者注)12海里范围内执行了一次航行自由行动。斯卡伯勒浅滩是一处露出水面的岩礁，中国和菲律宾围绕该浅滩存在领土争端。

Beijing reacted angrily to the US mission, warning the US military not to threaten peace and stability by conducting such operations.

北京方面对美国的这次行动作出愤怒回应，警告美军不要通过展开这类行动来威胁和平稳定。

Euan Graham, analyst at Sydney’s Lowy Institute think-tank, said the planned UK operation in the South China Sea followed through with a UK commitment made last year to assert freedom of navigation rights in the region.

悉尼智库洛伊研究所(Lowy Institute)的分析师尤安•格雷厄姆(Euan Graham)表示，英国所计划的在南中国海的行动，是要履行英国去年做出的在该地区宣示航行自由权的承诺。

“This is not a show of force by the UK and I doubt they will sail within 12 nautical miles of Chinese defence installations on disputed islands in the region,” he said. “Rather it is an opportunity to show the flag, a marker of British sovereignty, which says it isn’t just the US undertaking these operations and upholding the rule of law.”

“英国这并不是在炫耀武力，我认为他们不会驶入中国在该地区有争议岛屿上的防卫设施的12海里范围内。”他说，“相反，这是一个展示国旗——英国主权标志——的机会，相当于表示，不只是美国在执行这些行动和维护法治。”

Mr Williamson told Australia’s state broadcaster that there was a need for vigilance over “any form of malign intent” from China, as the country seeks to become a superpower.

威廉森对澳大利亚国家广播电视机构表示，在中国寻求成为超级大国之际，需要警惕来自中国的“任何形式的恶意”。

“Australia [and] Britain see China as a country of great opportunities, but we shouldn't be blind to the ambition that China has and we've got to defend our national security interests,” he said.

他说：“澳大利亚(和)英国视中国为一个拥有巨大机遇的国家，但我们不应无视中国的野心，我们必须捍卫我们的国家安全利益。”

Shen Dingli, professor of international relations at Fudan University in Shanghai, noted that while the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea allowed for naval ships of one country to pass peacefully through territorial waters of another country, “what Britain thinks of as peaceful, maybe China will not think of as peaceful”.

上海复旦大学国际关系教授沈丁立指出，虽然《联合国海洋法公约》(UN Convention on the Law of the Sea)允许一个国家的海军舰只以和平方式穿越另一个国家的领海，但“英国认为的和平方式，或许中国不认为是和平的”。

Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Renmin University in Beijing, said the US, Britain and Australia shared a common position on the South China Sea, which contrasted with China’s.

北京的中国人民大学国际关系教授时殷弘表示，美国、英国和澳大利亚在南中国海问题上持共同立场，这一立场与中国的立场差异明显。

“We can’t take this statement as a formal commitment but if it really happened then it would have a very bad influence on China-Britain relations,” he said. “China might take some retaliatory steps with regards to trade.”

“我们不能把这一声明当成正式承诺，但如果它真的发生了，那将对中英关系产生很坏的影响。”他说，“中国可能会在贸易方面采取一些报复措施。”

Mr Shi said that so far only the US has performed freedom of navigation operations) in the South China Sea, although there has been debate about whether the Australian navy would also get involved.

时殷弘表示，迄今为止，只有美国在南中国海实施了航行自由行动，尽管围绕澳大利亚海军是否也会参与进来有过一些争论。