美國就南中國海海洋權利主張的立場 U.S. Position on Maritime Claims in the South China Sea DoS/VOA翻譯 20200713

美國就南中國海海洋權利主張的立場   VOA翻譯

【縛雞之見】

The U.S. announced its formal Position on Maritime Claims in the South China Sea, in which “Beijing has offered no coherent legal basis for its “Nine-Dashed Line” claim in the South China Sea since formally announcing it in 2009.”  The U.S. “reject any push to impose “might makes right” in the South China Sea or the wider region.”

I wonder what President Tsai will do since the ROC claims the “Nine-Dashed Line,” exactly the same as Beijing’s.

U.S. Position on Maritime Claims in the South China Sea    DoSVOA翻譯  20200713

The United States champions a free and open Indo-Pacific.  Today we are strengthening U.S. policy in a vital, contentious part of that region — the South China Sea.  We are making clear: Beijing’s claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them.

美國宣導一個自由與開放的印度-太平洋。今天我們正在強化美國在該地區一個至關重要、具有爭議的部分---南中國海的政策。我們明確表示，北京對南中國海大多數海域的離岸資源權利主張是完全不合法的，北京為了控制這些資源而展開的霸淩活動也是完全不合法的。

 

In the South China Sea, we seek to preserve peace and stability, uphold freedom of the seas in a manner consistent with international law, maintain the unimpeded flow of commerce, and oppose any attempt to use coercion or force to settle disputes.  We share these deep and abiding interests with our many allies and partners who have long endorsed a rules-based international order.

在南中國海，我們尋求維持和平與穩定，以符合國際法的方式維護海上自由，保持商業流通不受阻礙，並反對任何使用脅迫手段或武力解決糾紛的企圖。我們與我們的很多長期支援基於規則的國際秩序的盟友及合作夥伴共用這些深遠和持久的利益。

 

These shared interests have come under unprecedented threat from the People’s Republic of China (PRC).  Beijing uses intimidation to undermine the sovereign rights of Southeast Asian coastal states in the South China Sea, bully them out of offshore resources, assert unilateral dominion, and replace international law with “might makes right.”  Beijing’s approach has been clear for years.  In 2010, then-PRC Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told his ASEAN counterparts that “China is a big country and other countries are small countries and that is just a fact.”  The PRC’s predatory world view has no place in the 21st century.

這些共用的利益受到來自中華人民共和國(PRC)前所未有的威脅。北京使用恐嚇手段，損害南中國海的東南亞沿海國家的主權，霸淩他們，剝奪他們的離岸資源，單方面宣佈統治，以“強權即公理”取代國際法。北京的做法多年來一直顯而易見。2010年，時任PRC外交部長的楊潔篪對他的東盟同事說：“中國是一個大國，其它國家是小國，這只是個事實。”PRC掠奪性的世界觀在21世紀沒有任何立足之地。

 

The PRC has no legal grounds to unilaterally impose its will on the region.  Beijing has offered no coherent legal basis for its “Nine-Dashed Line” claim in the South China Sea since formally announcing it in 2009.  In a unanimous decision on July 12, 2016, an Arbitral Tribunal constituted under the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention – to which the PRC is a state party – rejected the PRC’s maritime claims as having no basis in international law.  The Tribunal sided squarely with the Philippines, which brought the arbitration case, on almost all claims.

PRC沒有將其意志單方面強加給該地區的法律根據。北京2009年正式在南中國海提出“九段線”的權利主張，此後並沒有就此提出連貫的法律依據。2016年7月12日，一個按照PRC也是成員國的1982年《聯合國海洋法公約》組成的仲裁庭一致作出裁決，駁回了PRC的海洋權利主張，認為該主張依照國際法沒有法律依據。在幾乎所有權利主張方面，仲裁庭徹底站在了提出仲裁案的菲律賓一邊。

 

As the United States has previously stated, and as specifically provided in the Convention, the Arbitral Tribunal’s decision is final and legally binding on both parties.  Today we are aligning the U.S. position on the PRC’s maritime claims in the SCS with the Tribunal’s decision.  Specifically:

正如美國之前所聲明的，並按照《公約》的具體規定，仲裁庭作出的是最終裁決，而且對雙方均具有法律約束力。今天，我們使美國在有關PRC南中國海海洋權利主張上的立場與法庭的決定保持一致。具體來說：

 

• The PRC cannot lawfully assert a maritime claim – including any Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) claims derived from Scarborough Reef and the Spratly Islands – vis-a-vis the Philippines in areas that the Tribunal found to be in the Philippines’ EEZ or on its continental shelf.  Beijing’s harassment of Philippine fisheries and offshore energy development within those areas is unlawful, as are any unilateral PRC actions to exploit those resources.  In line with the Tribunal’s legally binding decision, the PRC has no lawful territorial or maritime claim to Mischief Reef or Second Thomas Shoal, both of which fall fully under the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction, nor does Beijing have any territorial or maritime claims generated from these features.

• 對於仲裁庭認定在菲律賓專屬經濟區或在其大陸架上的區域，PRC不能合法聲稱海洋權利主張，包括源自黃岩島礁(Scarborough Reef )和南沙群島(the Spratly Islands)的任何專屬經濟區的權利主張。北京對這些地區的菲律賓漁業和海洋能源開發活動進行的騷擾是不合法的，PRC單方面採取任何行動開發這些資源也是不合法的。根據仲裁庭具有法律約束力的裁決，PRC對美濟礁(Mischief Reef )或是仁愛礁(Second Thomas Shoal)沒有任何合法的領土或海洋權利主張。這兩者均完全在菲律賓的主權和管轄權之下，北京也沒有由任何因這些地貌所產生的領土或海洋權利主張。

 

• As Beijing has failed to put forth a lawful, coherent maritime claim in the South China Sea, the United States rejects any PRC claim to waters beyond a 12-nautical mile territorial sea derived from islands it claims in the Spratly Islands (without prejudice to other states’ sovereignty claims over such islands).  As such, the United States rejects any PRC maritime claim in the waters surrounding Vanguard Bank (off Vietnam), Luconia Shoals (off Malaysia), waters in Brunei’s EEZ, and Natuna Besar (off Indonesia).  Any PRC action to harass other states’ fishing or hydrocarbon development in these waters – or to carry out such activities unilaterally – is unlawful.

• 由於北京未能在南中國海提出合法和連貫的海洋權利主張，因此美國拒絕接受PRC對源自其在斯普拉特利群島所聲稱的島嶼12海裡領海以外的海域提出的任何權利主張(不影響其他國家對這些島嶼的主權主張)。因此，美國拒絕接受PRC在(靠近越南的)前衛灘(Vanguard Bank)、(靠近馬來西亞的)拉科尼亞淺灘(Luconia Shoals)、汶萊專屬經濟區和印尼納土納大島(Natuna Besar)附近的水域中提出的任何海洋權利主張。PRC在這些水域騷擾他國捕魚或碳氫化合物開發，或單方面進行此類活動，均為不合法。

 

 

• The PRC has no lawful territorial or maritime claim to (or derived from) James Shoal, an entirely submerged feature only 50 nautical miles from Malaysia and some 1,000 nautical miles from China’s coast.  James Shoal is often cited in PRC propaganda as the “southernmost territory of China.”  International law is clear: An underwater feature like James Shoal cannot be claimed by any state and is incapable of generating maritime zones.  James Shoal (roughly 20 meters below the surface) is not and never was PRC territory, nor can Beijing assert any lawful maritime rights from it.

• PRC沒有對(或源自)曾母暗沙(James Shoal)的任何合法領土或海洋權利主張。曾母暗沙完全淹沒在水下，距離馬來西亞只有50海裡，距離中國的海岸約1000海裡。在PRC的宣傳中，曾母暗沙經常被稱為“中國最南端的領土”。國際法是明確的：任何國家都不能對像曾母暗沙這樣的水下島礁宣稱擁有主權，它也不能產生海洋區域。曾母暗沙(在海面下約20米)現在不是、也從來都不是PRC的領土，北京也不能對它宣稱任何合法的海洋權利主張。

 

The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire.  America stands with our Southeast Asian allies and partners in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources, consistent with their rights and obligations under international law.  We stand with the international community in defense of freedom of the seas and respect for sovereignty and reject any push to impose “might makes right” in the South China Sea or the wider region.

世界不允許北京將南中國海視為其海上帝國。美國與我們的東南亞盟國與合作夥伴站在一起，根據國際法賦予它們的權利和義務，來維護它們對離岸資源的主權。我們與國際社會站在一起，捍衛海洋自由，尊重主權，並拒絕任何在南中國海或更廣闊的地區任何推動“強權即公理”的做法。

 

譯者注：

中國稱斯普拉特利群島(the Spratly Islands)為南沙群島。

中國稱斯卡伯勒礁(Scarborough Reef )為黃岩島。

中國稱米斯奇夫礁( Mischief Reef )為美濟礁。

中國稱第二湯瑪斯淺灘(Second Thomas Shoal)為仁愛礁。

中國稱前衛灘(Vanguard Bank )為萬安灘。

中國稱詹姆斯暗沙( James Shoal )為曾母暗沙。