中国已成功改变南中国海现状
Ashton Carter, US secretary of defence, led a chorus of international voices criticising China at the weekend Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual security forum in Singapore, warning that Beijing seems to be building “a great wall of self-isolation” in Asia.
上周末，美国国防部长阿什顿•卡特(Ashton Carter)牵头国际多方在新加坡举行的年度安全论坛——香格里拉对话(Shangri-La Dialogue)上批评中国，警告称北京方面似乎正在亚洲打造一座“自我孤立的长城”。
But defence officials and analysts say the rhetorical battle against Beijing's territorial ambitions in the South China Sea obscures the fact that China has succeeded in changing the status quo in these resource-rich waters.
但防务官员和分析人士表示，针对北京方面在南中国海领土野心的论战掩盖了一个事实：中国已经成功改变了这些资源丰富的水域的现状。
“Last year everyone was warning about the threat from China’s island-building plans but they’ve now constructed runways for fighters, ports and radar facilities in the South China Sea,” said one European diplomat in Singapore. “They’ve altered the facts on the water and there is nothing anyone can do about it now.”
“去年每个人都在警告中国造岛计划的威胁，但现在他们已经在南中国海修建了战斗机跑道、港口和雷达设施。”一名欧洲外交官在新加坡表示，“他们已经改变了这片水域的现状，现在任何人对此都无能为力了。”
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea and in recent years has become increasingly assertive in pushing its case against the other claimants: Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
中国对几乎整个南中国海提出主权声索，近年来还日益强硬地针对其他声索方——文莱、马来西亚、菲律宾、台湾和越南——推进自己的主张。
Citing concerns about the impact on freedom of navigation and regional stability, the US has hit back, launching navy and air patrols close to the new Chinese islands and deepening ties with Asian nations including Vietnam and the Philippines.
美国以担心航行自由和地区稳定受到影响为由对此进行了反击，在中国的新岛附近区域进行海上和空中巡航，并加深了与越南和菲律宾等亚洲国家的关系。
The new Chinese facilities, built on reefs in the Spratly Islands, will extend the reach of the air force, navy and coast guard as well as the fleet of fishing boats sent out to maintain what Beijing calls its “historic rights” to this sea.
中国建立在斯普拉特利群岛（Spratly Islands，中国称南沙群岛）岩礁上的新设施，将拓展中国空军、海军和海警的活动范围，以及那些为了维护中国所称的对这片海域的“历史性权利”而派出的捕鱼船队的活动范围。
A senior defence official from Indonesia, which has protested against recent incursions into its waters by Chinese fishing boats and a coast guard vessel, said he was “very worried” about Beijing’s growing audacity.
一名印尼高级防务官员对近期中国的多艘渔船和一艘海警船侵入印尼水域提出了抗议，他表示北京方面的日益大胆让他感到“非常忧虑”。
“Diplomats can criticise China but we badly need more equipment to boost our eyes and ears at sea so we can manage this threat better,” he said.
“外交官们可以批评中国，但我们迫切需要更多的设备来提高我们在海上的‘眼力’和‘耳力’，这样我们才能更好地应对这一威胁，”他说。
In addition to the tensions on the water, China is also facing a legal battle at the permanent court of arbitration in The Hague, where the Philippines has brought a case challenging Beijing’s “nine-dash line” claim to almost the entire sea.
除了海上的紧张局势，中国还在海牙的常设仲裁法院(Permanent Court of Arbitration)面临着一场官司，菲律宾已向该院起诉中国，挑战后者对几乎整个南中国海声索主权的“九段线”。
In Singapore, Mr Carter joined counterparts from Japan, France, the UK and other nations in accusing China of disregarding international law by refusing to recognise the right of the court to hear the case, in which a ruling is expected within months.
在新加坡，卡特与日本、法国、英国及其他国家的防长一道，指责中国无视国际法，拒不承认该院拥有审理此案的管辖权。此案的裁决预计将在几个月内作出。
Chinese officials, who have struggled to find many supporters for their position beyond the likes of Russia and Belarus, retorted that the Philippines was twisting international law and that the US was hypocritical because it has yet to ratify the UN law of the sea under which the case was brought.
中国官员难以在俄罗斯、白俄罗斯等国之外找到太多支持中方立场的国家。面对指责，他们回击称，菲律宾歪曲了国际法，而美国则是虚伪的，因为它自己至今都仍未正式批准此案所诉诸的《联合国海洋法公约》(UN Convention on the Law of the Sea)。
Despite the condemnations of China’s stance in Singapore, Beijing hopes to use its economic might — and threat of further military pressure — to win over incoming Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte.
尽管中国的立场在新加坡受到了谴责，但北京方面希望利用其经济实力（以及以进一步施加军事压力相威胁）来拉拢即将上任的菲律宾新总统罗德里戈•杜特尔特(Rodrigo Duterte)。
He has suggested that he could take a softer line on the maritime disputes and enter bilateral negotiations with Beijing in exchange for investment in the Philippines and joint exploitation of natural resources.
杜特尔特已暗示，他或将在海上领土争端方面采取更温和的立场，与北京方面进行双边谈判，以换取中国对菲律宾的投资以及共同开发自然资源。
“The big wild card in the South China Sea right now is Mr Duterte and whether he seeks talks with China,” said Euan Graham, a security analyst at the Lowy Institute, a think-tank in Sydney.
澳大利亚智库洛伊研究所(Lowy Institute)的安全问题分析家尤安•格雷厄姆(Euan Graham)表示：“如今，南中国海最大的变数就是杜特尔特以及他是否寻求与中国进行谈判。”
The question mark over Mr Duterte, who takes office at the end of the month, highlights how China can use its economic and military power to support its position, regardless of international criticism.
杜特尔特将于本月底正式就职，关于他的不确定性突显出中国如何利用经济和军事实力支撑自己的立场——不论国际社会如何批评。
“Don’t think China can be ganged up against,” said Yao Yunzhu, a defiant but good-humoured Chinese major-general who was busily fighting back against US rhetoric at the Shangri-La Dialogue. “China is too deeply integrated into the world, economically, politically and in terms of security.”
“不要以为可以拉帮结派对付中国，”中国少将姚云竹表示，“中国在经济、政治以及安全方面都极深地融入了世界。”在此次香格里拉对话上，这位强硬但不失幽默的中国少将一直忙于反击美方的言论。
