一个多世纪前首位将太平洋界定为美国核心利益的美国总统西奥多圠斯福(Theodore Roosevelt)，曾敦促美国人“温言在口，大棒在手”。

　　Yesterday, America’s understated defence secretary Ashton Carter used a visit to the US aircraft carrier named in the former president’s honour to deliver a highly symbolic warning to China.

　　昨日，美国低调内敛的国防部长阿什顿愠祓(Ashton Carter)利用参观以罗斯福命名的美国航空母舰的机会，向中国发出一个高度象征性的警告。

　　Speaking from the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt — nicknamed “The Big Stick” — in the South China Sea, Mr Carter said there was “a lot of concern about China in the region”.

　　在航行于南中国海的西奥多圠斯福号航空母舰(USS Theodore Roosevelt)——绰号“大棒”——甲板上，卡特发表讲话，表示“本地区对中国有很多关切”。

　　“Many countries in the region are coming to the United States and asking us to do more with them so that we can keep the peace out here,” Mr Carter said, as he warned of “extravagant claims and the militarisation, principally by China” in the South China Sea.

　　“本地区的许多国家来找美国，要求我们与他们加大合作，使我们能够保持这里的和平，”卡特表示。他警告称，南中国海存在“过分的主张和军事化，主要来自中国”。

　　As he spoke, the USS Theodore Roosevelt was 150-200 nautical miles south of the Spratly Islands, the contested areas of the South China Sea where China is building artificial islands.

　　他发表讲话之际，西奥多圠斯福号航空母舰位于斯普拉特利群岛（Spratly Islands，中国称南沙群岛——译者注）以南150至200海里处，这个群岛处在一个有争议的海域，中国正在那里建造人工岛。

　　The aircraft carrier visit was the culmination of 10 days of high-stakes military and diplomatic action by the US which Mr Carter hopes will dissuade China from expanding its military presence in the South China Sea and will reassure nervous allies about the durability of a US presence in the western Pacific. But the demonstration of naval strength runs the risk of provoking China and sparking a more intense competition in the South China Sea between the two powerful militaries.

　　卡特登上航母标志着美方持续10天的高风险军事和外交行动进入高潮。卡特希望，这些行动将说服中国停止在南中国海扩大其军事存在，并向神经紧张的盟友保证：美国将在西太平洋地区持久存在。但是，展示海军实力的风险是可能刺激中国，引发两支强大的军队在南中国海展开更激烈的角力。

　　Although the US is facing more immediate military crises, from the resilience of Islamist militants in Syria and Iraq to the conflict in Ukraine, it is the emerging competition in the western Pacific with China that over the next two decades will do more than anything to determine the global balance of power and America’s ability to remain the central nation in the international system.

　　虽然美国正面临更为紧迫的军事危机（从叙利亚和伊拉克的伊斯兰主义武装分子，到乌克兰冲突），但是，相比其它任何事态，西太平洋上正在浮现的美国与中国的竞争，在未来20年将在更大程度上决定全球力量对比，决定美国能不能继续做国际体系中的核心国家。

　　Last week, the US sent the USS Lassen, a destroyer, within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef, an artificial island built by China in the South China Sea to demonstrate that the US does not recognise any Chinese claim to the surrounding seas.

　　上周，美国派出“拉森号”(USS Lassen)驱逐舰驶入中国在南中国海建造的人造岛“渚碧礁”(Subi Reef)周边12海里水域内，以宣示美国不承认中国对周边海域的任何声索。

　　Commander Robert Francis, captain of the USS Lassen, said that his ship had been followed by a Chinese destroyer for about two weeks, including the day it conducted the “freedom of navigation operation” in the South China Sea.

　　“拉森号”舰长罗伯特弗朗西斯(Robert Francis)表示，他所在的军舰被中国的一艘驱逐舰尾随了大约两周，包括“拉森号”在南中国海执行“航行自由行动”的当天。

　　He said the Chinese vessel had issued a warning that the USS Lassen was entering Chinese territorial waters but had behaved in a “professional” and “courteous” fashion.

　　他表示，中国军舰向“拉森号”发出了进入中国领海的警告，但中方的行为是“专业”和“客气”的。

　　China has reacted angrily to the US operations in the South China Sea, accusing Washington of violating its sovereignty. In the short term, the main question will be whether China continues to send more military equipment and personnel to the islands it has developed in the Spratly chain over the past 18 months.

　　中国已对美国在南中国海展开的行动作出愤怒反应，指控华盛顿方面侵犯中国主权。短期而言，主要问题将是中国会不会继续在其18个月以来在斯普拉特利群岛填海造出的几个人工岛部署更多军事装备和人员。

　　Beyond that, US officials are worried that China could try to establish an air identification zone in the South China Sea, which would amount to an attempt to claim control of the airspace in the region.

　　除此之外，美国官员担心，中国可能尝试在南中国海划设一个防空识别区，那将相当于企图掌握该地区空域的控制权。

　　Having sent the USS Lassen close to Subi Reef, US officials say they will continue to make the same point by conducting further such operations in the South China Sea, potentially about two every quarter.

　　在派遣“拉森号”接近渚碧礁之后，美国官员们表示，他们将继续在南中国海展开更多航行自由行动，频度可能达到每季度两次，以求表明同样立场。

　　The other factor that Washington hopes will restrain China is the growing support for a strong US military presence in the region from China’s neighbours as a result of Beijing’s behaviour.

　　华盛顿方面希望将有助于抑制中国的另一个因素是，北京方面的行为已促使邻国更加支持美国在该地区保持强大军事存在。

　　Over the past two years, the US has agreed to closer military co-operation with Japan, the Philippines and Australia. The latest Asian nation to move closer to Washington is Malaysia, which has its own territorial dispute in the South China Sea with China and which has become much more critical of Beijing over the past year.

　　过去两年里，美国已同意与日本、菲律宾和澳大利亚加强军事合作。最新一个靠拢华盛顿的亚洲国家是马来西亚，该国也在南中国海与中国存在领土争端，而且在过去一年大幅调高了批评北京的分贝。

　　Mr Carter flew to the USS Theodore Roosevelt from an air base in Malaysia accompanied by Hishammuddin Hussein, the country’s defence minister. Next week US marines will take part in a military exercise in eastern Malaysia and the two governments have been discussing further joint training exercises.

　　卡特是在马来西亚国防部长希沙姆丁侯赛因(Hishammuddin Hussein)的陪同下，从马来西亚的一个空军基地登机飞抵西奥多圠斯福号航空母舰的。下周美国海军陆战队将在马来西亚东部参加军事演习，两国政府还在讨论举行进一步的联合演练。

　　A senior US official said: “There has been much greater interest [from Malaysia] in developing defence ties with the US in the last couple of years.

　　一位美国高官表示：“（马来西亚）在过去两年对于同美国发展防务关系表现出更加浓厚得多的兴趣。

　　“China does itself a disservice when it puts pressure on other countries to not offend it because that sends a signal to the entire region that China is a country they need to be careful about.”

　　“中国施压其它国家不要冒犯它，这给中国自己帮了倒忙，因为这种行为向整个地区传递的信号是，中国是它们需要小心提防的国家。”

　　Mira Rapp-Hooper, an Asia expert at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington think-tank, said China would push more countries towards the US if it continued with its military build-up in the South China Sea.

　　华盛顿智库——新美国安全中心(Center for a New American Security)的亚洲问题专家米拉拉普-胡珀(Mira Rapp-Hooper)表示，如果中国继续在南中国海加强军事部署，它将把更多国家推向美国的怀抱。

　　“If the trend moves in the direction of more rapid militarisation of the islands, then the likes of Malaysia and Vietnam will be more in play,” she said.

　　“如果那些岛朝着加快军事化的方向发展，那么马来西亚和越南等国家将会拿出更多对策，”她表示。

　　Mr Carter insisted that China’s growing naval power would not prevent the US from maintaining its role as the anchor of regional security. “America has long been a stabilising force here,” he said. “That has allowed all the Asian miracles to occur over the last 70 years.”

　　卡特坚称，中国海军实力增长不会阻止美国保持其作为地区安全主心骨的角色。“美国长期以来是这里的稳定力量，”他表示。“70年来，这种格局使所有的亚洲奇迹能够发生。”