中國指責越南騷擾中方鑽井平臺
Beijing has accused Hanoi of “harassing” a Chinese oil rig towed into disputed waters in the South China Sea, claiming that Vietnamese vessels had “interfered” with Chinese ships 171 times since a stand-off began last Saturday.
中國指責越南騷擾一臺被拖往南中國海爭議海域的中國石油鑽井平臺，表示越方船隻在這場始於上週六的對峙中171次“干擾”中方船舶。Earlier, the US waded into the dispute , calling China’s deployment of the rig “provocative” after Vietnam said Chinese ships had rammed its vessels, injuring several sailors.
此前，越南指責中國船隻撞擊越南船隻，導致多名水手受傷，美國隨後介入這場糾紛，稱中國部署鑽井平臺的行爲是“挑釁性的”。The stand-off, which involves dozens of ships from the two nations, is the latest flare-up as China gradually stakes out its claim to nearly all the waters of the South China Sea, most of which are also claimed by other neighbouring nations. China’s third-largest oil company Cnooc placed the rig about 150 nautical miles from the Vietnamese coast.
涉及兩國數十艘船舶的這場對峙，是中國逐漸聲索其對幾乎整個南中國海主權主張的最新升級事件。鄰近國家也對南海大部分海域有主權主張。中國第三大石油公司中海油(Cnooc)將這一鑽井平臺部署在距離越南海岸約150海里的海上。
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which China ratified in 1996, recognises an exclusive economic zone extending up to 200 miles from each nation’s coast. But China’s “nine-dash line”, also known as the “cow’s tongue”, hugs the coasts of several southeast Asian nations bordering the sea, and has caused friction in the region.
按照《聯合國海洋法公約》(UNCLOS)，每個瀕海國家都有一個專屬經濟區，其範圍從該國的海岸線向外延伸至多200海里。中國在1996年簽署這一公約。但中國的“九段線”，也被稱爲“牛舌線”，緊貼幾個環繞南海的東南亞國家的海岸，並已在該地區引發摩擦。The jousting in the South China Sea follows President Barack Obama’s visit to Asia, during which he signed a defence pact with the Philippines allowing Washington to base ships and aircraft there. While in Tokyo, Mr Obama also declared that the US considered disputed islands in the East China Sea to fall under its military alliance with Japan – a longstanding American position but the first time that a US president had stated it publicly.
南中國海發生最新衝突之前，美國總統巴拉克•奧巴馬(Barack Obama)在訪問亞洲期間與菲律賓簽署了一份防務協議，允許美軍在菲律賓部署艦船和飛機。奧巴馬在訪問日本期間還宣示，美國認爲東中國海爭議島嶼適用美日軍事同盟——這是美國的長期立場，但這是美國總統首次公開聲明這一立場。Chinese military strategists worry that the US is trying to encircle or contain it, and argue that the country needs to develop a stronger naval force in response.
中國的軍事戰略家擔心美國正試圖包圍或遏制中國，他們辯稱，中國需要發展更強大的海軍力量作爲迴應。Beijing bases its rights to the South China Sea on its claims to the Paracel Islands, a group of reefs and islets in the middle of the sea that it has occupied since a naval clash with Vietnam in 1974. The rig is located 17 nautical miles from Triton Island, said Yi Xianliang, the deputy director-general of the department of boundary and ocean affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
北京方面對南中國海的主權主張基於其對西沙羣島(Paracel Islands)的領土主張；中國在1974年與當時的南越打了一場海戰後佔領了這些位於南海中央的島礁和小島。中國外交部邊界與海洋事務司副司長易先良表示，中方的鑽井平臺距離中建島(Triton Island)僅17海里。“We are willing to negotiate with Vietnam, but they must stop their harassment and withdraw their fleet. I believe that under these preconditions we can sort out the issue,” Mr Yi said at a hastily called press conference in which not a single Chinese media organisation raised a question.
易先良在一場匆忙召集的新聞發佈會（其間沒有一家中國媒體集團提出任何問題）上表示，中國願意與越南進行談判，但越方必須停止騷擾，撤回該國的船隊。中國相信，在滿足這些前提條件後，雙方可以解決問題。He refused to specify how many Chinese ships were in the area, or to confirm a Vietnamese estimate that China has deployed 80 ships to Vietnam’s 30.
他拒絕說明相關海域有多少中國船舶，並拒絕證實越方的一個估計數字；越南稱，中國出動了80艘船，而越南只有30艘。Tensions over the South China Sea also stem from its status as a rich fishing ground and home to extensive oil and gas deposits.
南中國海的局勢之所以緊張，也是因爲它是一個豐饒的漁場，並擁有豐富的石油和天然氣儲量。Cnooc 981, China’s first self-developed deep-sea drilling platform, is operated by COSL, an oil services subsidiary of Cnooc. The $832m rig was commissioned in China two years ago and began operations in an eastern portion of the South China Sea.
“海洋石油981”是中國第一臺自主研製的深海鑽井平臺，其作業方是中海油的油田服務子公司——中海油田服務股份有限公司(COSL)。這臺造價8.32億美元的鑽井平臺是兩年前在中國啓用的，在南中國海東部開始作業。Li Yong, the chief executive of COSL, said he did not know what oil block the rig was currently working on. He was also unable to give the number of COSL employees on the rig.
中海油服首席執行官李勇表示，他不知道該鑽井平臺目前在哪一個區塊作業。他也無法提供在平臺上工作的中海油服僱員人數。
