澳大利亞發佈外交白皮書 警告中國威脅

Australia should strengthen its alliance with the US to counter growing Chinese power in the Indo-Pacific region amid tensions over maritime disputes, according to a new government report.

根據澳大利亞發佈的一份新的政府報告，面對海上爭端引發的緊張關係，澳大利亞應加強與美國的聯盟，以應對中國在印度洋-太平洋地區不斷增長的勢力。

Australia’s first foreign policy white paper in more than a decade, released on Thursday, recommends that Canberra take a more active role in the region and adopt a tougher stance against Beijing’s territorial ambitions.

澳大利亞在週四發表了十幾年來的第一份外交政策白皮書，建議堪培拉在該地區發揮更積極的作用，並對北京的領土野心採取更加強硬的立場。

It criticises the “unprecedented pace” of Beijing’s island-building projects in the South China Sea, saying Australia was opposed to the building of “artificial structures” for military purposes.

該報告批評北京在南中國海(South China Sea)的島嶼建設工程達到了“前所未有的速度”，稱澳大利亞反對建造軍事用途的“人工結構”。

The paper also expresses concern about the potential use of force or coercion in the East China Sea and Taiwan Strait, and calls on those concerned to act with restraint. It also warns that without strong US engagement in the region, power is likely to shift more quickly, thereby denting Australia’s interests.

報告還對東中國海(East China Sea)和臺灣海峽(Taiwan Strait)可能會動用的武力或強制手段表示關切，並呼籲有關方面保持克制。報告還警告說如果沒有美國在該地區的積極參與，那麼權力可能會更快地轉移，從而損害澳大利亞的利益。

“We will never agree that might is right,” said Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s prime minister, at the launch of the paper.

澳大利亞總理馬爾科姆?特恩布爾(Malcolm Turnbull在發表這份文件時表示：“我們絕不同意強權即公理。”

However, he described Australia’s relationship with China — the country’s largest trading partner — as warm, strong and positive, and denied Canberra was joining US efforts to contain Chinese regional interests.

不過，他表示澳大利亞與中國——澳大利亞最大的貿易夥伴——之間的關係是友好的、牢固的和積極的，並否認堪培拉正助力美國以遏制中國的區域利益。

The launch of the white paper follows a toughening in rhetoric from Canberra towards Beijing over recent months, with Mr Turnbull warning China in June to respect the “sovereignty of other nations”.

在發佈這份白皮書前，堪培拉近幾個月來對北京的言論日益強硬，特恩布爾在6月份曾警告中國要尊重“其他國家的主權”。

Earlier this month it joined the US, India and Japan in a revived diplomatic initiative titled the “quad”, which seeks to counterbalance China’s growing power in the region.

本月早些時候，澳大利亞加入美國、印度和日本，重啓“四方安全對話”（Quadrilateral Security Dialogue，簡稱quad），這一外交倡議旨在尋求制衡中國在該地區不斷增長的勢力。

Michael Fullilove, executive director of the Lowy Institute think-tank, said the white paper represented a change in tone from the Asian Century report published by the previous Labor-led government, which saw China’s rise in an almost exclusively positive context.

智庫洛伊研究所(Lowy Institute)執行主任邁克爾?富利洛夫(Michael Fullilove)表示，這份白皮書標誌着上一任工黨領導下政府所發佈的《亞洲世紀》報告中的基調發生了變化。上任政府把中國崛起視爲一種幾乎完全積極的環境。

“The white paper is a way of saying that no one wants to live in China’s shadow and Beijing should stick to the rules-based system,” he said.

“這份白皮書相當於表示，誰也不想活在中國的陰影下，北京方面應當遵守基於規則的體系，”他說。

“It is also a bid to persuade the US under Donald Trump to stick with multilateralism, free trade and remain engaged in the region.”

“這也是旨在說服總統唐納德?特朗普(Donald Trump)領導下的美國堅守多邊主義、自由貿易以及繼續參與地區事務的一種努力。”

The paper says Canberra should expand its existing military co-operation with the US, which sees thousands of marines rotate through bases in Australia’s north. It says Australia should promote open markets in an era when protectionism is spreading and floats the possibility of engaging the US in a future regional free trade deal, which includes China.

這份白皮書表示，堪培拉方面應當擴展與美國之間的現有軍事合作。在現有合作中，數千名海軍陸戰隊士通過澳大利亞北部的基地進行輪換。白皮書表示，澳大利亞應在這個保護主義正到處蔓延的時代宣揚開放市場，並考慮讓美國加入一份未來地區自由貿易協議（包括中國）的可能性。

“Over time, bringing the US and China together in a region-wide free trade agreement would reduce economic tension and help maximise regional economic growth prospects,” said the paper.

“隨着時間的推移，讓美中兩國加入到一份地區自由貿易協定中來，將減輕經濟緊張並有助於地區經濟增長前景最大化，”該白皮書說。

The white paper is intended to provide a framework for the development of Australian foreign policy over the next decade. However, analysts said that would depend on whether any future Labor government adopted its recommendations.

這份白皮書旨在爲澳大利亞制定未來十年的對外政策提供一個框架。然而，分析人士們表示，這將取決於未來的工黨政府是否採納這些建議。

Penny Wong, Labor’s foreign affairs spokeswoman, gave the paper a cautious welcome on Thursday, urging the government to build on the recommendations and set a clear vision of Australia for the region.

週四，工黨外交事務發言人黃英賢(Penny Wong)對該白皮書表示出謹慎的歡迎。他敦促政府把這些建議作爲行動的基礎，爲澳大利亞針對地區制定出一份清晰的願景。