美防长指责中国在南海炫耀军力

SINGAPORE — Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis harshly criticized the Chinese government on Saturday for its continuing militarization of a string of islands in the South China Sea, calling the new presence of advanced military equipment and missiles there a flagrant show of military power.

新加坡——周六，美国国防部长吉姆·马蒂斯(Jim Mattis)严厉指责中国政府继续在南海的多座岛屿搞军事化，称那里新出现的先进军事装备和导弹是明目张胆地炫耀军事实力。

“Despite China’s claims to the contrary, the placement of these weapons systems is tied directly to military use for the purposes of intimidation and coercion,” Mr. Mattis said during a speech on Saturday at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, a regional security conference.

“尽管中国的说法相反，但这些武器系统的部署与出于军事目的的恐吓和胁迫直接相关，”马蒂斯周六在一年一度的地区安全会议香格里拉对话(Shangri-La Dialogue)上发表讲话时说。

Mr. Mattis recently disinvited the Chinese military from a large, multinational naval exercise this summer due in part to China’s positioning of those weapons, including antiship and surface-to-air missiles, on the Spratly Islands.

马蒂斯最近取消了邀请中国参加今夏一场多国大型海军演习，部分就是因为中国在斯普拉特利群岛（Spratly Islands，中国称南沙群岛——译注）部署包括反舰和地对空导弹在内的武器。

China’s activities, Mr. Mattis said, are “in stark contrast to the openness our strategy promotes,” calling into question “China’s broader goals.”

马蒂斯称中国的行为“与我们的战略所倡导的开放形成了鲜明的对比”，并对“中国更广泛的目的”提出了质疑。

Mr. Mattis’s remarks come as the United States tries to navigate increased tensions with Beijing, even as the Trump administration seeks Chinese help in curbing North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

马蒂斯发表此番言论之际，美国正试图解决与北京日渐加剧的紧张关系。同时，特朗普政府正寻求中国协助遏制朝鲜的核野心。

The Chinese military participated in the multinational exercise, called the Rim of the Pacific, in 2014 and 2016. Mr. Mattis called the move to withdraw their invitation an “initial response,” without specifying what additional moves the United States might be considering. He added that he was open to cooperation with China “wherever possible.”

中国军队分别在2014和2016年参加过名为环太平洋(Rim of the Pacific)的多国演习。马蒂斯称取消邀请是“初步回应”，但没有说明美国可能正在考虑哪些额外举措。他补充说，“只要有可能”他愿意同中国合作。

“The U.S. will continue to pursue a constructive, results-oriented relationship with China,” Mr. Mattis said, “competing vigorously where we must.”

“美国将继续争取同中国建立有建设性的、注重结果的关系，”马蒂斯说，“在必须竞争的地方积极竞争。”

On Sunday, two American warships sailed within 12 miles of islands in the South China Sea, in an attempt to assert the United States’ stance on freedom of navigation in international waters. China has laid claim to most of the South China Sea, in defiance of international norms.

周日，两艘美国军舰驶入南海岛屿的12英里（约合19公里）范围内，试图表明美国对国际水域航行自由的立场。中国无视国际规范，宣称拥有南海大部分地区的主权。

Mr. Mattis tried to reassure allies in the region that the United States was committed to handling both China’s rapid expansion and the threat from North Korea.

马蒂斯试图向该地区的盟友保证，美国致力于应对中国的快速扩张和朝鲜的威胁。

“We are focused on modernizing our alliance with both the Republic of Korea and Japan, transforming these critical alliances to meet the challenges of the 21st century,” Mr. Mattis said, using South Korea’s formal name.

“我们的重点是让我们与大韩民国和日本的盟友关系现代化，变革这两个关键的联盟，迎接21世纪的挑战，”马提斯说。他使用了韩国的正式名称。

He also said the United States would continue to support Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as its territory, with military and other assistance.

他还说，美国会继续向台湾提供军事和其他援助。台湾是一个实行自治的岛屿，中国声称台湾是其领土。

Aaron L. Friedberg, a professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University and a former deputy assistant for national security affairs, said that Mr. Mattis’s speech was probably meant to ease American allies’ concerns not just about regional threats, but about President Trump’s oft-changing foreign policy.

普林斯顿大学(Princeton University)研究政治和国际事务的教授、曾担任国家安全事务常务副助理的艾伦·L·弗里德伯格(Aaron L. Friedberg)说，马蒂斯的讲话可能是为了缓解美国盟友的担心。它们的担心不仅和地区威胁有关，还和特朗普总统变化不定的外交政策有关。

“They don’t know what’s coming next,” Mr. Friedberg said. “There’s not much people even at Mattis’s levels can do about it.”

“它们不知道接下来会发生什么事情，”弗里德伯格说。“对此，即便是马蒂斯这种级别的人也无能为力。”

Mr. Mattis said little about North Korea in his speech, which came just hours after Mr. Trump said that the June 12 talks in Singapore with the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, were back on. He said the American goal remained the “irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” In response to a question, he added that American troop levels in South Korea would not be on the agenda for the summit talks.

马蒂斯在讲话中没怎么谈到朝鲜。就在他发表讲话的几小时前，特朗普称恢复6月12日与朝鲜领导人金正恩(Kim Jong-un)在新加坡的会晤。他说，美国的目标依然是“朝鲜半岛不可逆转的无核化”。在回答一个提问时，他补充说美国在韩国的驻军规模不会出现在会谈的议程上。