菲律宾支持日本重整军备

The Philippines would strongly support a rearmed Japan shorn of its pacifist constitution as a counterweight to the growing military assertiveness of China, according to the Philippine -foreign minister.

菲律宾外长阿尔伯特·德尔罗萨里奥(Albert del Rosario)表示，菲律宾将强烈支持日本修改和平宪法重整军备，以抗衡中国不断升级的强硬军事姿态。

“We would welcome that very much, Albert del Rosario told the Financial Times in an interview. “We are looking for balancing factors in the region and Japan could be a significant balancing factor.

德尔罗萨里奥在采访中告诉英国《金融时报》：“我们对此将非常欢迎。我们正在寻求本地区的平衡因素，而日本可能成为一个重大的平衡因素。

The unusual statement, which risks upsetting Beijing, reflects growing alarm in Manila at what it sees as Chinese provocation over the South China Sea, virtually all of which is claimed by Beijing. It also comes days before a general election in Japan that could see the return as prime minister of Shinzo Abe, who is committed to revising Japan’s pacifist constitution and to beefing up its military.

这一不寻常的声明可能令中国政府不安，该声明反映出菲律宾政府对于在它看来中国在南海的挑衅越来越震惊——中国声称对几乎整个南海拥有主权。这一声明的发表距离日本大选只有几天，承诺修改日本和平宪法、加强该国军事力量的安倍晋三(Shinzo Abe)很可能重返首相宝座。

A constitutional revision that upgraded Japan’s Self-Defence Forces to a fully-fledged military would allow it far more freedom to operate and could change the military balance in Asia. In spite of its official pacifism, Japan’s armed forces do not lack for hardware. Its navy has about 50 large surface ships, compared with China’s 70-odd. Support from other Asian nations for a rearmed Japan could embolden Mr Abe to push for constitutional revision.

日本自卫队在通过修宪升级成为一支正规军事力量后，将拥有大得多的行动自由，可能改变亚洲军事平衡。尽管日本官方坚守和平主义立场，但日本的武装部队并不缺乏硬件装备。海上自卫队拥有大约50艘大型水面舰艇，而中国拥有70来艘。亚洲其他国家对于日本重整军备的支持，可能鼓舞安倍晋三放手推动修宪。

Beijing has long raised the spectre of a return of Japanese militarism. The attitude towards Japanese rearmament in the Philippines, itself colonised by Japan, suggests that regional fears of an assertive China may be beginning to trump memories of Japan’s aggressive wartime actions.

长期以来中国政府一直在担心日本军国主义的复活。曾被日本殖民的菲律宾对日本重整军备的态度表明，亚洲地区对强硬的中国的恐惧，也许正开始压倒对日本战时野蛮行径的记忆。

This month, the Philippines objected strongly to an announcement that maritime police from China’s Hainan province would intercept ships entering what it considered its territorial waters. Beijing has started issuing passports that include a map of its “nine-dash claim to almost the entire South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Taiwan and Indonesia. The Philippines has refused to stamp the new passports in protest.

菲律宾本月对中国一项宣布提出强烈反对，中国称，海南省的海警将拦截进入被中国视为领海的船舶。此外，中国政府在新版护照上印有“九段线地图，几乎将整个南海都划入中国疆域，而越南、菲律宾、文莱、台湾以及印尼都声称对南海部分地区拥有主权。为此，菲律宾已拒绝在中国新护照上盖章以示抗议。

“The Philippines has contended all along that the nine-dash claim is an excessive claim that violates international law, Mr del Rosario said.

德尔罗萨里奥表示：“菲律宾一直认为，中国的九段线主张非常过分，违反了国际法。

Southeast Asian countries concerned about what they see as an abrupt change in China’s “peaceful-rise diplomacy have welcomed the renewed commitment to the region by the US in the form of its “pivot. Mr del Rosario said Manila had agreed to more US ship visits and more joint training exercises.

在东南亚国家看来，中国突然改变了“和平崛起外交方针，它们对此深感担忧，并因此对美国以转向亚洲战略为形式，重新承诺过问亚太区事务表示欢迎。德尔罗萨里奥表示，菲律宾政府已同意让更多美国军舰靠泊港口，并进行更多联合军事演练。

The region is also closely watching Beijing’s stand-off with Tokyo over the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands, known as the Diaoyu in China.

此外，该区域也正密切关注中日两国政府围绕日控尖阁诸岛（中国称钓鱼岛及其附属群岛）的对峙。

In July, Japan and the Philippines signed a five-year agreement to strengthen military co-operation.

7月份，日本与菲律宾签署了一份加强军事合作的五年协议。