中越恢復兩軍關係 同意控制海上糾紛

China and Vietnam have agreed to resume military ties and curb their maritime dispute, according to Beijing’s official Xinhua News Agency.

據官方的新華社報道，中國和越南已經同意恢復軍事關係，並控制住兩國的海上糾紛。

The two communist neighbours had been in a maritime face-off since July, when China placed an oil rig in disputed waters in the South China Sea.

此前這兩個相鄰的共產黨國家自7月以來處於海上對峙，起因是中國在南中國海爭議海域部署了一個石油鑽井平臺。

However, relations have reportedly been soothed this weekend by the visit to Beijing of a high-level Vietnamese military delegation.

然而，在越南一個高級軍事代表團在剛剛過去的週末訪問北京後，雙邊關係據報道已經平靜下來。

“We should make our troops well-behaved, and not make remarks harming the feelings of both people or do things undermining the overall bilateral relations,” Fan Changlong, vice-chairman of China’s powerful Central Military Commission, said in remarks carried by Xinhua.

新華社引述中國中央軍委副主席範長龍的話稱，中越應當“管控好部隊，不說傷害兩國人民感情的話，不做影響兩國關係大局的事。”

The three-month showdown, during which Chinese boats rammed Vietnamese ships, was the most serious in a series of confrontations between China and its maritime neighbours.

中國船隻曾在持續三個月的海上對峙期間撞擊越方船隻，這場對峙是中國與海上鄰國之間一連串對抗中最嚴重的。

It sparked violent demonstrations against Taiwanese factories and Chinese worksites in Vietnam, in which five people died.

它在越南引發針對臺資工廠和中資項目工地的暴力示威，導致5人死亡。

The military meetings in Beijing this weekend were important “because they indicate that both China and Vietnam acknowledge that an accident or miscalculation between their armed forces could get out of control”, wrote Carl Thayer, professor emeritus with the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy, who closely follows events in the South China Sea.

澳大利亞國防學院(Australian Defence Force Academy)南海問題專家、新南威爾士大學(University of New South Wales)名譽退休教授卡爾•泰爾(Carl Thayer)寫道，週末在北京舉行的兩軍會晤是重要的，“因爲它們表明，中國和越南都承認，兩國軍隊之間發生意外或誤判可能導致局面失控”。

“Both sides appear willing to reach an understanding on how to respond to incidents to prevent their escalation.”

“雙方似乎都願意就如何對事件做出迴應、以防止其升級達成諒解。”

Vietnam, the Philippines and Japan have drawn closer together diplomatically as China becomes more assertive in its territorial claims in waters rich in oil and fish.

隨着中國在擁有豐富石油和漁業資源海域的領土主張上變得更加強硬，越南、菲律賓和日本已經在外交上走得更近。

Nonetheless, China’s strategy seems to be working. It has reinforced military bases on the islets in the South China Sea on which it bases its claims to the surrounding waters, while stepping back from each individual confrontation before its neighbours can cobble together a unified diplomatic response.

儘管如此，中國的戰略似乎奏效。它在南中國海的小島加強了軍事基地，這些小島是中國聲索周圍海域主權的依據；同時在鄰國能夠協調做出統一的外交回應之前在相關對峙中後退一步。

In this case, China has mended its fences before it hosts regional heads of state at the Asia Pacific Economic Forum near Beijing. The withdrawal of the contentious rig came shortly before a regional defence meeting in August.

這一次，中國於在北京附近舉行亞太經濟合作論壇（Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum，簡稱APEC）、迎接區域各國元首前夕修補了關係。8月份一次地區防務會議之前不久，中國撤走了有爭議的石油鑽井平臺。