中国强化对南中国海的领土主张

China is trying to bolster the legal basis for its maritime-security forces operating in contested areas of the South China Sea, threatening to complicate fraught relations with southern neighbors and drawing quick criticism from the U.S.

中国正试图为其在南中国海（中国称南海）有争议海域的海监执法行为提供更充分的法律依据，这有可能令中国与南部邻国之间本已令人担忧的关系进一步复杂化，此举也立即遭到了美国的批评。

A new regulation enacted by the southern island province of Hainan requires non-Chinese fishing vessels wanting to operate in the South China Sea to first obtain permission from China's central government.

海南省通过的一项新规规定，外国渔船进入海南管辖水域进行渔业生产或者渔业资源调查活动应当经国务院有关主管部门批准。

The new regulation is the latest move by China to assert its claim to disputed territories on its fringes. In November, China announced an air-control zone over the East China Sea, aggravating a dispute with Japan over a set of small islands. In the South China Sea, China has dislodged the Philippines from a contested shoal, and Chinese maritime security vessels have harassed Vietnamese fishermen and other foreign commercial ships.

这一新规是中国在有争议海域宣示主权的最新举措。去年11月份，中国宣布在东中国海（中国称东海）划设防空识别区，此举令中日两国围绕一系列小岛的领土争端更趋恶化。在南中国海，中国将菲律宾人从一个有争议的沙洲逐出，中国海监船还对越南渔民和别国商船进行骚扰。

'The passing of these restrictions on other countries' fishing activities in disputed portions of the South China Sea is a provocative and potentially dangerous act,' said U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

美国国务院发言人柏莎琪(Jen Psaki)称，在南中国海有争议水域对别国的渔业活动施加限制是挑衅和危险的行动。

The new Hainan rule, which took effect Jan. 1, is unlikely to have immediate effect on many non-Chinese fishermen operating in the South China Sea, and it remains unclear how strictly the regulations will be enforced. Chinese law already says foreign fishing vessels wishing to operate in Chinese waters must receive permission from Chinese central authorities, though the Hainan regulation appears to deal more directly with disputed waters in the South China Sea.

新规于今年1月1日起开始生效，短期内不太可能影响在南中国海作业的许多外国渔民，而且这些规定将在多大程度上实施还不清楚。中国的法律已经规定，那些希望在中国水域作业的外国捕鱼船只必须获得中央政府许可，不过海南省出台的新规似乎更直接指向了南中国海的争议水域。

Enforcement, scholars and diplomats said, at least in the short term, would likely be limited to areas around the disputed Paracel Islands, which are closer to Hainan, and where Chinese maritime forces have a sizable presence.

学者和外交人士称，至少在短期内，相关执法可能只限于存在争议的帕拉塞尔群岛(Paracel Islands，中国称西沙群岛)附近海域。帕拉塞尔群岛靠近海南，中国在那里有相当规模的驻军。

'The new regulation provides legal justification for what Chinese authorities have been doing for several years,' said Carlyle Thayer, emeritus professor at the Australian Defence Force Academy.

澳大利亚国防军事学院(Australian Defense Force Academy)荣誉教授塞耶(Carlyle Thayer)说，新规为中国当局数年来一直在做的事情提供了法律依据。

Civilian and military vessels patrol widely in the South China Sea, which it claims almost in its entirety. Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia also have competing claims on the sea.

民间和军方的船只在南中国海进行大面积巡逻，中国称整个海域的主权都属于中国。越南、菲律宾、台湾、文莱和马来西亚也主张对这片海域的部分区域拥有主权。

'China has not offered any explanation or basis under international law for these extensive maritime claims,' the State Department's Ms. Psaki said.

美国国务院发言人柏莎琪说，中国未做任何解释，也没有说明这些宽泛的海域主权主张的国际法依据 。

Hainan is at the forefront of China's efforts to exert sway over the South China Sea. The island is a base for naval and other maritime security agencies and supplies outposts sprinkled among the sea's islets.

海南是中国努力在南中国海施加影响力的“前沿阵地”，是中国海军和其它海事安全部门的基地，补给站散落在该海域的诸多小岛上。

The Hainan island province passed another set of regulations in late 2012 asserting provincial security forces had the right to board foreign vessels operating in territory claimed by Beijing.

2012年末，海南出台了另一套规定，称省级海洋执法部队有权登上进入中国主权海域的外国船只。

The new regulation states that the foreign fishing vessels were required to obtain Beijing's permission to operate in Hainan's jurisdictional waters. The regulation doesn't spell out how far those waters extend.

新规规定，外国捕鱼船须获得中国政府的许可才能在海南省管辖水域作业。新规没有就海南省管辖水域的范围作具体说明。

Vietnam's Foreign Ministry didn't respond to a request to comment on the new regulations. The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs referred to an earlier statement by spokesman Raul Hernandez, who on Wednesday was quoted by the Associated Press as saying his country's diplomats were seeking additional information on the new regulations.

越南外交部没有回应就新规置评的请求。菲律宾外交部提到了其发言人赫南德兹(Raul Hernandez)之前说的话。据美联社(Associated Press)周三报道，赫南德兹表示，菲律宾外交人员正设法了解有关这项新规的进一步信息。

At a daily press briefing on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying didn't respond directly to how the new regulations would be implemented. 'Its purpose is to strengthen the operation, development and rational utilization of fishery resources to protect fishery workers, ' she said.

中国外交部发言人华春莹在周四的例行记者会上没有直接回应将如何执行新规的问题。她说，新规的目的是为了加强渔业资源的保护、增殖、开发和合理利用，维护渔业生产者合法权益。

The sea is home to critical shipping lanes, and may hold significant reserves of natural gas and oil.

南中国海拥有多条重要航道，可能还拥有储量丰富的天然气和石油。

The U.S., a longtime ally of the Philippines, says it doesn't take sides in the territorial disputes, but Secretary of State John Kerry said last month while visiting Vietnam said that the U.S. opposes 'coercive and aggressive tactics to advance territorial claims.'

菲律宾的长期盟友美国说，不会在领土争议问题中采取立场。但美国国务卿克里(John Kerry)上月访问越南时说，美国反对用强制和激进策略来扩大领土主张。

The Philippines and Vietnam have sparred openly with China in recent years, as the Chinese government worked more actively to establish control over the contested areas.

随着中国政府更积极地建立对争议海域的控制，近年来菲律宾和越南公开叫板中国。

In one incident, the Philippines and China were locked in a standoff over the Scarborough Shoal, fertile fishing ground west of Manila. China has since established effective control over Scarborough.

例如菲律宾和中国曾就斯卡伯勒浅滩(Scarborough Shoal，中国称黄岩岛)进行对峙。该地区位于马尼拉以西，渔业资源丰富。后来中国在斯卡伯勒浅滩建立了有效控制。