日本巨资援助"湄公河五国" Japan boosts aid to $6.1bn for Mekong five nations

Japan has pledged Y750bn ($6.1bn) in aid to the “Mekong five” nations over the next three years as Tokyo seeks fresh influence in a region it regards as crucial to domestic economic growth and regional strategic balance.

日本承诺未来3年将向“湄公河五国”提供7500亿日元(合61亿美元)的援助。日本政府认为这个地区对国内经济增长和区域战略平衡至关重要，寻求在该地区扩大自身的影响力。

The move at this weekend’s Japan-Mekong summit delivers a sharp rise on the Y600bn in aid Japan gave to Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos — the five states along the lower Mekong river — in the past three years.

日本在周末举行的“日本与湄公河流域国家峰会”上宣布的最新援助规模超过日本过去3年对该地区的援助（6000亿日元）。“湄公河五国”指位于湄公河下游的柬埔寨、泰国、越南、缅甸和老挝。

Coming at a time when Tokyo is strapped for cash after years of ­economic stagnation and population ageing, it highlights Japan’s determination to check rising Chinese influence, and push its preference for a status quo Asia governed by international law.

在经历多年的经济停滞和人口老龄化后，日本正面临资金紧张。在这种情况下增加对湄公河五国的援助，表明日本决心遏制中国不断上升的影响力，同时推动维持其偏好的亚洲受国际法规范的现状。

In a press conference after his summit with the five Mekong heads of state, Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, said concerns were raised about the situation in the South China Sea, a reference to China’s “island building”.

在与“湄公河五国”政府首脑会晤后举行的新闻发布会上，日本首相安倍晋三(Shinzo Abe)表示，南中国海(South China Sea，中国称中国南海)的形势令人关切，这里指的是中国的“造岛”行动。

“Both sides noted concerns expressed over the recent development in the South China Sea, which will further complicate the situation and erode trust and confidence and may undermine regional peace, security and stability,” said the official communique.

官方的会议公报称：“双方都对南中国海最近的事态发展表示关切，这将进一步令局势复杂化，并侵蚀信任和信心，而且可能会破坏地区和平、安全和稳定。”

The Tokyo meeting followed a ­high-profile trip this year by a senior Japanese foreign ministry official to Cambodia and Laos, two countries central to China’s plans to boost trade ahead of the launch of a single market by the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations later this year.

在此次峰会在东京召开之前，日本外务省一高级官员今年曾访问柬埔寨和老挝，引起高度关注。在中国寻求在东盟(Asean)今年晚些时候建立单一市场之前扩大贸易的计划中，这两个国家处于核心位置。

Beijing has invested heavily in infrastructure in the Mekong region and has cast its relationship with Asean’s market of more than half a billion people as the start of a “diamond decade”, with the aim of boosting trade both ways from $444bn in 2013 to $1tn in 2020.

中国政府在湄公河地区的基础设施领域投入了大量资金，并将中国与东盟市场的关系称为“钻石10年”的开始，目标是将双边贸易额从2013年的4440亿美元扩大到2020年的1万亿美元。东盟地区拥有逾5亿人口。