美國海軍面對中國對南海主張的挑戰 CA News Ottawa 20200430 Taimocracy翻譯

美國海軍面對中國對南海主張的挑戰

THE UNITED STATES NAVY FACES CHALLENGES AGAINST CHINESE CLAIMS IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA    CA News Ottawa 20200430    Taimocracy翻譯

The operations take place amid growing tensions between Washington and Beijing for the management of the coronavirus and after the American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused China of exploiting the attention given to the pandemic of “mistreating” its neighbors in the South China Sea (SCS).

在華盛頓和北京間就防治冠狀病毒緊張關係日益加劇，及美國國務卿Mike Pompeo指責中國「虐待」南中國海鄰國對大流行病的關注後，開始行動了。

The guided missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill on Wednesday “affirmed the navigation rights and freedoms in the Spratly Islands in accordance with international law,” said Cmdr. Reann Mommsen, spokesman for the 7th Navy fleet, in a note.

第7海軍艦隊發言人Reann Mommsen司令在周三一份報告中指出：導彈巡洋艦「邦克山」號導彈了根據國際法在南沙群島的航行權利和自由。

The Spratlys, called the Nansha Islands by China, are located in the southern part of the South China Sea of ​​1.3 million square miles.  While several countries have claims to the chain of islands, the United States has long accused China of militarizing the Spratly Islands by deploying surface-to-air anti-ship missiles and long-range surface-to-air missiles on Chinese outposts.

Spratlys群島被中國稱為南沙群島，位於130萬平方英里南中國海的南部。儘管有幾個國家聲稱擁有這些群島，但長期以來，美國一直指責中國透過部署地空反艦導彈和遠程地空導彈，將南沙群島軍事化。

“This freedom of navigation operation confirmed the legitimate rights, freedoms and uses of the sea recognized by international law by challenging the restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan,” said Mommsen.

Mommsen司令說：「以航行自由確認了國際法所承認的合法權利、自由和使用，挑戰中國，越南和台灣對無害通過的限制」

On Tuesday, the guided missile destroyer USS Barry conducted a navigation freedom mission near the Paracel Islands, which are called the Xisha Islands from China, defying Beijing’s claims on the waters around the islands in the northern areas of the South China Sea.

週二，導彈驅逐艦巴里號（USS Barry）在Paracel群島（中國稱為西沙群島）附近，進行了航行自由任務，否認北京對南海北部島嶼周圍水域的主張。

U.S. shipping freedom operations in the South China Sea are not uncommon, but typically occur weeks or more apart.

美國在南中國海的航行自由行動雖不罕見，但通常間隔數週或更長時間。

New American strategy   美國的新戰略

Back-to-back missions are indicative of a new Pentagon strategy – “strategic predictability, operational unpredictability” – to keep enemies in hot pursuit, said Timothy Heath, senior defense researcher with the think tank Rand Corp. in Virginia.

維吉尼亞州智庫蘭德公司（Rand Corp.）的高級國防研究員Timothy Heath表示，「連續性」的任務表明了五角大樓的新戰略—戰略可預測性，作戰不可預測性。

Heath indicated a similar move earlier in the month in which the U.S. Air Force ended its presence of continuous bombers on the island of Guam, opting instead to move B-1, B-2 and B-52 to the region, whenever the Pentagon deems it appropriate.

Heath在本月稍早指出類似的舉動，美國空軍停止在關島上轟炸機的連續駐留，而選擇五角大樓認為適當時，隨時將B-1，B-2和B-52移至該地區。

“Just as the Guam bombers are no longer constantly present there, U.S. naval forces in the South China Sea are likely to carry out operations and activities according to unusual patterns that are incompatible with past and predictable patterns,” said Heath.

Heath說：「就像關島轟炸機不再經常出現在當地一樣，在南中國海的美國海軍很可能會按照與過去、可預測模式不同的異常模式進行行動。」

The U.S. Navy has said that back-to-back operations are normal as usual.

美國海軍已表示，連續行動和往常一樣正常。

“US forces operate daily in the South China Sea,” said Mommsen.

Mommsen說：「美軍每天在南中國海行動。」

“The United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law permits, regardless of where excessive maritime demands occur and regardless of current events,” he said.

他說：「無論在哪裡出現過多的海事需求，也不管當前發生何事，美國將在國際法允許的範圍內飛行、航行和操作。」

US Navy Spec. Kevin Rodruigez, of Hartford, Md., Photographs a surface contact from aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill on Wednesday near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

星期三，馬里蘭州哈特福德的美國海軍專家Kevin Rodruigez，在南中國海的南沙群島附近的導彈巡洋艦「邦克山」號導彈上拍攝到水面接觸。

For its part, Beijing said after Tuesday’s US Paracels operation that Washington is increasing tensions in the region and at the same time hindering the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic.

北京方面則表示，在周二美國西沙行動後，華盛頓方面正在增加該地區的緊張局勢，同時也阻礙了應對全球武漢肺炎大流行的防治。

“China urges the United States to focus on its business with the prevention and control of the pandemic, to make more contributions to the global fight against Covid-19 and to immediately stop military operations that are harmful to security, peace and regional stability,” Senior Col Li Huamin, spokesman for the command of the Southern Liberation Army People’s Theater, said in a statement.

解放軍南部戰區司令部發言人李華民上校在一份聲明中說：「中國敦促美國將重點放在預防和控制大流行的事物上，為防疫全球武漢肺炎大流行做出更多貢獻，並立即停止有害於安全、和平與地區穩定的軍事行動。」

China also claimed to have deployed the military to warn USS Barry of the waters near the Paracels on Tuesday.

中國還聲稱：已於週二在西沙群島附近的水域部署了軍隊，以警告USS Barry。

Analyst Carl Schuster, a former U.S. Navy captain, said the claim could have had much to do with Wednesday’s repeat operation in the Spratlys.

前美國海軍上尉Carl Schuster表示，這可能與週三在南沙的重複行動有很大關係。

“China claimed to have expelled the US Navy from those waters.  This is one way of showing that it has not done so,” said Schuster.

Schuster說：「中國聲稱已將美國海軍從這些水域驅逐出境。這是講，等於根本還沒有做到。」

Pompeo criticizes China  龐皮歐批評中國

On April 23, the US secretary of state stated that it was Beijing that was using the pandemic to promote its claims in the South China Sea.

4月23日，美國國務卿表示，北京才是利用全球大流行宣傳其在南中國海的主張。

“The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is exerting military pressure and forcing its neighbors into the SCS, even going so far as to sink a Vietnamese fishing vessel.  The United States is firmly opposed to Chinese bullying and we hope that other nations will also take them into account,” Pompeo wrote in a joint announcement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on efforts to combat coronavirus.

龐皮歐與東南亞國家聯盟聯合發表防治冠狀病毒的聲明中這樣寫：「中共正在使用軍事壓力，迫使其鄰國不得進入南海，甚至不惜擊沈越南漁船。美國堅決反對中國的欺凌行為，我們希望其他國家也能好好考慮。」

Pompeo also cited China’s imposition of new administrative districts around the island chains beyond which US warships sailed this week as an example of its pressure on the South China Sea.

龐皮歐還舉了中國在群島附近，超越美國軍艦本週在這些島上航行範圍之外，設置新的行政區為例，表達中國對南中國海施加壓力

。

China claims almost all of the South China Sea as sovereign territory and has aggressively affirmed its participation in recent years.  In addition to building and fortifying coral reefs and islands, Beijing has sent scout ships to assert mining rights and deployed a large number of coast guards in the area.  In recent years it has also worked constantly to modernize and expand the PLA Navy to protect what Beijing calls its sovereign territory.

中國主張幾乎所有的南中國海都為其主權領土，並在近年侵略性進行。除建造和加強珊瑚礁和島嶼外，北京還派出偵察船以樹立其採礦權，並在該地區部署了大量海岸警衛隊。近年來，它還不斷努力將解放軍海軍現代化和擴大陣容，以保護北京所宣稱的主權領土。

Earlier this month he established the Xisha district and the Nansha district under the city of Sansha, a prefecture-level city on the island of Woody in the Paracels.  The move consolidates centralized control over the islands from a single city.

本月初，他在西沙群島的永興島上的縣級市「三沙市」之下建立了西沙區和南沙區。此舉是以一城市對島嶼實施集中控制。

Ryan Browne and Kylie Atwood of CNN contributed to this report.