中国正寻找新办法维护在南中国海的主权

Beijing could employ controversiAl measures to control the disputed airspace over the South China Sea, according to an expert with close ties to the Chinese government, as it seeks new ways to assert its authority in the hotly contested region.

一位与中国政府关系密切的专家表示，北京方面可能采取有争议的举措来控制南中国海上方的争议空域。目前，中国正在寻找新的办法来维护其在这个存在激烈争议的地区的管控权。

Wu Shicun, head of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said Beijing reserves the right to impose a so-called air defence identification zone (Adiz) once it had built its second aircraft carrier.

中国南海研究院(NISCSS)院长吴士存表示，北京方面保留在建成第二艘航空母舰后立即设立所谓的防空识别区(Adiz)的权利。

Although about 20 countries, including the US and Japan, use the zones to control access to their airspace, employing such a measure over the South China Sea, where nine countries have competing territorial claims, would be regarded by Beijing’s neighbours and in Washington as extremely provocative.

尽管包括美国和日本在内的约20个国家设立了防空识别区来控制飞行物进入其空域，但在有9个国家提出彼此冲突的领土主张的南中国海采取这样的举措，可能会被中国的邻国和美国视为极度挑衅的行为。

Mr Wu, who made the comments at a military forum in Beijing, is not an official government spokesman but he has a record of floating proposals that turn out to be policy.

吴士存是在北京一个军事论坛上发表这些言论的。他并非政府官方发言人，但他过去提出的一些方案最终变成了政策。

His observation suggests China is maintaining — or even strengthening — its assertive strategic stance in the Pacific Ocean.

他的言论表明，中国正在维持乃至加强其在太平洋上的强硬战略立场。

I don’t think this is just his opinion, one US analyst said of Mr Wu’s statement.

我不认为这只是他的观点，一名美国分析人士在谈到吴士存的话时说。

Mr Wu later told analysts his comments had been partly mistranslated.

吴士存后来告诉分析人士，他的言论在一定程度上被错译了。

Beijing’s experience of employing an Adiz, which requires foreign aircraft to identify themselves, could mean it will refrain from declaring a new one before it can properly enforce it.

北京方面此前设立防空识别区的经历或许意味着，它在能够有效落实之前，不会宣布设立新的防空识别区（防空识别区要求外来飞机通报身份）。

When China sought to impose the measure in the East China Sea in 2013 it was immediately challenged by the US, which flew two B-52 bombers through it.

2013年，中国寻求在东中国海划设防空识别区时，立即遭到了美国的挑战，后者派出两架B-52轰炸机飞过了该区域。

Beijing was unable or unwilling to scramble aircraft to intercept them.

当时北京方面未能或并未打算紧急派出飞机来拦截它们。

The construction of a second Chinese aircraft carrier was revealed in March 2015.

中国正在建造第二艘航母的消息在2015年3月曝光。

Latest photos show the hull is nearly complete.

最新的照片显示，船体已几近造好。

Analysts expect it could be finished by 2018 but training naval aviators and crews mean it may be a decade before it is fully functioning.

分析人士预期，这艘航母可能将在2018年完工，但训练海军飞行员和船员意味着，这艘航母可能还需要10年才能充分发挥作用。

Tensions have been rising in the South China Sea.

南中国海的紧张气氛一直在加剧。

Beijing has been irked by repeated efforts by Washington to test its territorial claims there by moving ships and aircraft close to artificial islands claimed by Beijing.

美国多次挑战中国在南中国海的领土主张，派遣舰船和飞机靠近中方宣称拥有主权的人工岛，这些举动已经惹恼了中方。

Declaring an Adiz would, in theory, offer Beijing a way to cement further control over the sea, which it claims as its territorial waters.

理论上，宣布设立防空识别区为中方提供了进一步加强对南中国海控制的途径（中方主张南中国海为其领海）。

That claim was repudiated this year by an international arbitration court, which ruled in favour of a Philippine challenge to China’s claims in the South China Sea — a decision that infuriated Beijing.

今年，一个国际仲裁法庭否定了中方的这一主张，做出的裁决有利于菲律宾对中国在南中国海主张构成的挑战——这一裁决激怒了北京方面。

The comments from Mr Wu were made at the Xiangshan Forum, an annual three-day gathering in Beijing that offers a window into the strategic thinking of China’s military.

吴士存的言论是在香山论坛(Xiangshan Forum)上发表的，这是一个在北京举行的、为期三天的年度会议，这一会议为外界了解中国军方的战略思维提供了一个窗口。

In another apparently orchestrated message to the US, Chinese and Russian military officials held a joint briefing on their opposition to Washington’s plans to deploy an anti-ballistic missile system in South Korea.

中国和俄罗斯军方官员举行了联合吹风会，反对美国在韩国部署反弹道导弹系统的计划——这是对美发出的另一个明显经过精心安排的信息。

Seoul requested the Terminal High-Altitude Air Defence system following successive nuclear warhead tests this year by North Korea.

在今年朝鲜连续举行核弹头试验后，韩国请求美国在韩部署末段高空区域防御系统（THAAD，简称：萨德）。

Cai Jun, a general in the People’s Liberation Army, said Russia and China would hold a second set of missile defence joint manoeuvres next year, following a first round in Moscow in May.

中国人民解放军少将蔡军表示，俄罗斯和中国明年将举行第二轮导弹防御联合演习，今年5月双方已在莫斯科举行了第一轮演习。

The drills underline how opposition to the US has driven Russia and China closer together on military matters.

这些演习凸显出，对美国的反对如何推动俄中在军事问题上越走越近。