英闻天下——80 Review: Territorial Disputes Increase in Asia-Pacific

 　　This past year has seen a number of territorial¹ disputes in the Asia-Pacific region, involving China, Japan, South Korea and countries in Southeast Asia as well.

 

　　As such, today's key words are "territorial disputes".

 

　　CRI's Robert Costelloe has more.

 

　　This is the sound of anti-Japan rallies which took place in China in 2012.

 

　　The dispute over the Diaoyu Islands has led to a boycott² of Japanese products in many cities across the country.

 

　　2012 was supposed to be a year for China and Japan to celebrate 40 years of normalized diplomatic ties.

 

　　However, commemorative ceremonies were cancelled after then Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara's announcement that he was trying to raise money to "purchase" the Diaoyu Islands from their private owners.

 

　　The situation became more enflamed after then Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda announced in July the Japanese government was considering "nationalizing" the islands.

 

　　The dispute hit its boiling-point in September, after the Japanese government reached agreement with the islands' so-called private owners to "buy" three of the five uninhabited islands at a cost of more than 26 million US dollars.

 

　　This drew harsh condemnation³ from the Chinese government. Geng Yansheng is with the Chinese Defence Ministry⁴.

 

　　"The Chinese military expresses its resolute⁵ opposition⁶ and strong protest. The Chinese government and the Chinese military are steadfast⁷ in their resolve and determination to safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity. We are closely following the situation and reserve the right to take relevant measures."

 

　　The Chinese government then launched a series of counter measures, including monitoring and inspections⁸ of the region.

 

　　The Chinese government also began publishing maritime⁹ environmental forecasts for the Diaoyu Islands, as well as mapping the base points and baselines of the territorial waters.

 

　　And in October, Chinese marine¹⁰ surveillance ships and navy warships¹² also began patrolling the waters around the Diaoyu Islands. Qiu Yanpeng is the deputy commander of the East China Sea Fleet.

 

　　"The Diaoyu Island and its affiliated¹³ islands have been China's inherent territory since ancient times and China has indisputable sovereignty over them."

 

　　The Diaoyu Islands aren't Japan's only territorial dispute. Japan and South Korea have also become locked in an increasingly escalated¹⁴ dispute over a set of sparsely¹⁵ populated islands, which are known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea.

 

　　That dispute flared¹⁶ up after South Korean President Lee Myung Bak paid a visit to Dokdo in August. Kim Sung-hwan is South Korean Foreign Minister.

 

　　"The South Korean government's stance is that the Dokdo is our territory, so there is no territorial dispute."

 

　　The move drew a harsh response from then-Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.

 

　　"Takeshima is Japan's territory both historically and under international law. Visits by President Lee Myung-bak on August the 10th and related ministers thereafter contradict with our position on Takeshima and is extremely regrettable."

 

　　Territorial disputes were also straining Japan's relations with Russia in 2012. Japan wants Russia to hand over four islands, which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan calls the Northern Territories. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev made a visit to the islands in July, which also sparked a strong protest from Japan's Foreign Ministry.

 

　　Meanwhile, in the South China Sea, a dispute over the Nansha Islands erupted in April, after a Philippine warship¹¹ blocked a dozen Chinese fishing vessels¹⁷ from leaving Huangyan Island after they took refuge there to wait out a storm.

 

　　The issue eventually spurred the Chinese coast guard to get involved, leading to a standoff between the two sides for nearly two weeks.

 

　　In addition, the government of Vietnam adopted the "Vietnamese Law of the Sea" legislation in late June.

 

　　That legislation describes the Xisha and Nansha Islands as being within Vietnam's sovereignty and jurisdiction¹⁸.

 

　　The territorial spats¹⁹ in the South China Sea have sparked calls for ASEAN and China to turn a non-aggression accord they signed in 2002 into a stronger, legally-binding "code of conduct".

 

　　Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang was part of the Chinese delegation²⁰, which attended ASEAN's annual summit in mid-November.

 

　　"This issue should be properly addressed between ASEAN and China, and this is not the key issue, and this should not be a stumbling block between China-ASEAN relations."

 

　　The territorial disputes in the South China Sea will continue to develop in 2013.

 

　　For CRI, I'm Robert Costelloe.

1 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

2 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

3 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 resolute   

adj.坚决的，果敢的

参考例句：

• He was resolute in carrying out his plan.他坚决地实行他的计划。
• The Egyptians offered resolute resistance to the aggressors.埃及人对侵略者作出坚决的反抗。

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 steadfast   

adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的

参考例句：

• Her steadfast belief never left her for one moment.她坚定的信仰从未动摇过。
• He succeeded in his studies by dint of steadfast application.由于坚持不懈的努力他获得了学业上的成功。

8 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

10 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

11 warship   

n.军舰，战舰

参考例句：

• He is serving on a warship in the Pacific.他在太平洋海域的一艘军舰上服役。
• The warship was making towards the pier.军舰正驶向码头。

12 warships   

军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只

参考例句：

• The enemy warships were disengaged from the battle after suffering heavy casualties. 在遭受惨重伤亡后，敌舰退出了海战。
• The government fitted out warships and sailors for them. 政府给他们配备了战舰和水手。

13 affiliated   

adj. 附属的, 有关连的

参考例句：

• The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
• All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。

14 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

15 sparsely   

adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地

参考例句：

• Relative to the size, the city is sparsely populated. 与其面积相比，这个城市的人口是稀少的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The ground was sparsely covered with grass. 地面上稀疏地覆盖草丛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 Flared   

adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The match flared and went out. 火柴闪亮了一下就熄了。
• The fire flared up when we thought it was out. 我们以为火已经熄灭，但它突然又燃烧起来。

17 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

19 spats   

n.口角( spat的名词复数 )；小争吵；鞋罩；鞋套v.spit的过去式和过去分词( spat的第三人称单数 )；口角；小争吵；鞋罩

参考例句：

• Gasoline is a solvent liquid that removes grease spats. 汽油是一种能脱去油迹的有溶解能力的液体。 来自辞典例句
• Then spats took a catnap, and the bird looked out for dogs. 然后斯派茨小睡了一会儿。小鸟为它站岗放哨，防止狗跑过来。 来自互联网

20 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。