克林顿拒绝中国推迟讨论南海问题的呼吁

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rejected Chinese calls to defer talks over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, pushing instead for region-wide negotiations to settle claims.

美国国务卿克林顿(Hillary Clinton)拒绝了中国要求推迟就南中国海(South China Sea, 中国称南海)领土纠纷进行讨论的呼吁，她反过来敦促举行由南中国海地区各国参加的谈判来解决问题。

Speaking at a regional security forum in the Cambodian capital on Thursday, she said questions over conduct in disputed areas in the sea should be addressed in 'multilateral settings' such as events sponsored by the 10-member of Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which is holding meetings on the topic on Thursday.

她出席在柬埔寨首都金边举行的一个地区性论坛时发表讲话说，关于在南中国海存在主权争议地区应采取何种行为的问题，应该在由东南亚国家联盟(Association of Southeast Asian Nations, 简称：东盟)主办的活动这类“多边场合被提及。东盟周四正在就这一问题举行会议。

'Issues such as freedom of navigation and lawful exploitation of maritime resources often involve a wide region, and approaching them strictly bilaterally could be a recipe for confusion and even confrontation,' Ms. Clinton said.

克林顿说，通航自由和海洋资源的合法开采等问题往往涉及整个地区的利益，把这类问题严格限制在双边场合解决可能会引发混乱甚至对抗。

Her statement comes just a day after China warned participants against raising the issue at Thursday's meetings, saying it was 'crucial' nations leave the topic off of the agenda. Chinese authorities have long said the issue should be dealt with on a bilateral basis, but critics--especially diplomats in Southeast Asian nations such as the Philippines--say that approach reduces the leverage of other countries that have claims in the sea.

在她发表这番讲话前的一天，中国警告东盟主办的这次会议的与会者不要在周四的会议上提及这一问题。中国说，不要谈南中国海问题，这一点至关重要。中国政府一直说，这一问题应该通过双边形式加以解决，但批评人士（特别是菲律宾等东南亚国家的外交界人士）说，双边形式会不利于其他在南中国海地区有主权要求的国家发挥影响力。

The resource-rich South China Sea--which carries around half of the world's total trade--is claimed in whole or part by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. Frictions intensified recently after a series of standoffs and disputes, especially in areas claimed by Vietnam and the Philippines.

中国、菲律宾、越南、马来西亚、台湾和文莱都对南中国海的全部或部分水域有主权要求。南中国海蕴藏着丰富的资源，经这片水域运输的货物占全球总贸易量的一半。南中国海地区的摩擦近来呈现恶化态势，此前这里曾爆发了一系列对峙和争端，特别是在越南和菲律宾宣称拥有主权的水域。

'The strength of a multilateral approach is that it brings all the players in the same room and lets them work together on the principles and mechanisms that can lead to progress,' Ms. Clinton said. 'Smaller countries can be sure their voices are heard. And larger countries, which have a significant stake in broader regional stability and security, can pursue effective solutions to complicated challenges.'

克林顿说，用多边方式解决问题的好处是它能把所有当事方聚到一起，让他们共同着手确定解决问题的原则和机制。她说，这种方式可以确保小国的声音被听到，而那些在更广泛的地区稳定和安全问题上有重大利益的大国，则可通过这种方式为所面临的复杂挑战寻求有效的解决方案。