崔天凯大使接受美国有线电视新闻网“阿曼普”栏目专访（中英对照）

英文版：Ambassador Cui Tiankai Talks to Christiane Amanpour.doc

中文版：驻美国大使崔天凯接受美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）“阿曼普”栏目专访.doc

Ambassador Cui Tiankai Talks to Christiane Amanpour

驻美国大使崔天凯接受美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）“阿曼普”栏目专访

 

On June 4, 2015, Ambassador Cui Tiankai had an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.

 

2015年6月4日，中国驻美国大使崔天凯接受美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）“阿曼普”栏目专访。

 

AMANPOUR: Why is it, Mr. Ambassador, that China feels the need to change the status quo with building this enormous amount of territory, dredging and building in the South China Sea?

 

阿曼普：大使先生，为什么中方认为有必要通过在南海岛礁的大规模施工来改变现状？

 

CUI: Well, first of all, I have to point out what China is doing there is fully within the scope of our sovereignty. So there is nothing for others to get worried. Besides, this is not an issue and should not be an issue between China and the United States because the United States has no territorial claims in the region.

 

崔天凯：我首先要指出的是，中国目前进行的岛礁建设完全是中国主权范围内的事，别的国家对此大可不必担忧。此外，这不是也不应成为中美之间的问题，因为美国在南海没有领土主权声索。

 

AMANPOUR: You say it’s within your territorial sovereign rights. But you are changing the status quo. You are building something out of nothing. Vice President Biden has called it a major rupture, a rift, a fault line.

 

阿曼普：你说这些是在中国领土主权范围内的活动，但这些活动从无到有地扩建岛礁，正在改变现状。拜登副总统称这些活动使（这一地区）出现了“断层线”。

 

CUI: I think that the fact is the status quo has been changed by others for a long, long time. So what we are doing is to sort of restore the status quo as it should be. So there is no reason for others to make such accusations against China. What we are doing is to – just to build facilities that will mainly help ships of China and other countries. Of course we have some defense facilities there, but it’s only for defense.

 

崔天凯：事实上，南海的现状很早以前就已经被其它一些国家改变了。我们现在正在做的，在某种程度上是恢复应有的状况。因此别的国家没有理由指责中国。我们在岛礁上建设的设施主要是为帮助中国及其他国家在南海通行的船只。当然岛礁上也会有军事防御设施，但这些设施的目的只是为了防御。

 

AMANPOUR: Well, let me ask you, because obviously there have been military reconnaissance. There have been planes that have gone to try to see what’s going on. And of course, as you know, CNN was on one of them recently and had to turn back when they were challenged by Chinese authorities. You know, this is a very tense situation. Is China considering putting up an air defense zone around that part of the South China Sea?

 

阿曼普：很明显该地区有一些军事侦察活动。一些飞机飞到那里想看看究竟发生了什么。如你所知，CNN的记者前不久搭乘了一架军机飞越该地区，这架军机在中方发出警告后不得不返航。现在的形势非常紧张。中方是否正在考虑在南海设立防空识别区？

 

CUI: Well, I hope CNN would also show to the people what others have done for a long, long time in the region. That would be more a factual presentation. And besides, what we are doing is, as I said, mainly for civilian purposes. So there is really no need for others to send so many military reconnaissance planes to the region. And this is really against the letter and the spirit of the Convention of the Law of the Sea.

 

崔天凯：我希望CNN也能向人们展示其他国家多年以来在该地区所做的事情，这样才能还原真相。此外，如我所说，中方的岛礁建设主要出于民用目的，所以有关国家完全没有必要派这么多军机在该地区进行抵近侦察活动，这有悖于《联合国海洋法公约》。

 

AMANPOUR: Ambassador, do you foresee China putting up an air exclusion zone around that part of the South China Sea, as has happened in the East China Sea?

 

阿曼普：大使先生，你是否预见将来中方会设立南海防空识别区，就像在东海设立防空识别区一样？

 

CUI: The United States was the first country in the world to set up such zones. And there are now over 20 countries who have already set up such zones. So China certainly has a right to do the same. But whether we will do it or not will be based on our assessment of the situation and we will certainly do it with caution.

 

崔天凯：美国是世界上第一个设立防空识别区的国家，目前世界上已有20多个国家设立了防空识别区。因此中国当然有权利做同样的事情，但是否这么做要取决于我们对形势的判断，当然我们会谨慎行事。

 

AMANPOUR: I do hear what you’re saying and those words you use are, I assume, calculated to try to lower the temperature. And the United States appears to be trying to lower the temperature as well, asking all its allies and friends in the region, everybody, to stop building in the sea. But a newspaper with ties to the government has said the following – and I’d love to get your reaction to this. Basically, “If the United States’ bottom line is that China has to halt its activities, then a U.S.-China war is inevitable in the South China Sea.” Really, Ambassador, a war?

 

阿曼普：我想你刚才所谈和所用的措辞是想使当前局势降温。美方看上去似乎也在试图使局势降温，呼吁所有的地区盟友和朋友停止海上建设活动。但是，（中国）一份有政府背景的报纸称，如果美国的底线是中国必须停止目前的建设活动，那么中美在南海必有一战。我想知道你对这些言论作何反应。真的吗？大使先生，一场战争？

 

CUI: Well, first of all, I wish the U.S. would really do something to lower the temperature, to reduce the tensions there. So I hope people in the U.S. will refrain from making all the coercive statements, will refrain from making all the coercive actions there. Besides, I don’t think that we should allow this single issue to dominate our bilateral agenda. So I don’t think that we should go to confrontation and conflicts just over this issue.

 

崔天凯：首先，我希望美方能够切实采取使局势降温、缓和地区紧张的行动。希望美方停止所有胁迫性的言行。同时，我们不应让这样的个别问题主导中美关系。我不认为中美会因为这个问题而走向对抗和冲突。

 

AMANPOUR: Well, obviously everybody hopes that this particular crisis will see the temperature lowered.

 

阿曼普：是的，很明显大家都希望这场危机能够降温。

 

AMANPOUR: Let me ask you about an area of cooperation that’s very obvious and important and that is on the issue of climate change. Now China, which is now the world’s biggest polluter, has promised to cap emissions and to do all sorts of important things by the year 2030, I think it is. How seriously is the Chinese government taking its commitment to tackle this really important problem? And we do always see these dreadful smog days in China, of course.

 

阿曼普：我问你一个非常重要的合作领域的问题：气候变化。中国目前是世界上最大的排放国，曾作出到2030年达到排放峰值以及采取其他重要行动的承诺。中国政府对兑现应对气候变化的承诺抱有多么认真的态度？我们常看到中国出现糟糕的雾霾天气。

 

CUI: I really believe that what we have in common far outweighs what we differ from each other. And we should not allow our differences overshadow our common interests and a growing need for cooperation. And climate change would be a good example for our cooperation. We made a good statement last November during President Obama’s visit to China and I’m sure we’ll continue to make progress and we will do more to respond to climate change together with other countries.

 

崔天凯：我认为中美两国的共同利益远远大于分歧，我们不应让分歧超越双方的共同利益和不断增长的合作需求。气候变化将是中美合作的最好例证之一。去年11月奥巴马总统访华期间，中美双方发表了气候变化联合声明。我相信，双方在这一领域的合作将不断取得进展。中方将继续与世界各国共同努力，以有效应对气候变化。