澳大利亞與日本擬簽《軍隊(duì)到訪協(xié)議》

Australia and Japan are set to discuss a major defence co-operation pact, against the backdrop of an increasingly assertive China and lingering concerns over the US commitment to the Asia-Pacific region.

澳大利亞和日本將討論一項(xiàng)重要的防務(wù)合作協(xié)議，其背景是中國(guó)變得愈發(fā)自信，同時(shí)美國(guó)對(duì)亞太地區(qū)的承諾引發(fā)的擔(dān)憂揮之不去。

Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s prime minister, will hold talks on Thursday aimed at finalising a “visiting forces agreement” with Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, which could see both nations’ armed forces train in each other’s countries.

澳大利亞總理馬爾科姆•特恩布爾(Malcolm Turnbull)將于周四在東京與日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)舉行會(huì)談，旨在敲定一項(xiàng)《軍隊(duì)到訪協(xié)議》(Visiting Forces Agreement)。根據(jù)該協(xié)議，兩國(guó)武裝力量可能會(huì)在對(duì)方國(guó)家訓(xùn)練。

It would be the first such agreement entered into by Japan, although it has a longstanding “status of forces” pact with the US that sets the legal parameters for the stationing of American troops on its territory.

這將是日本簽訂的首份此類協(xié)議，盡管日本與美國(guó)很早就簽訂了《駐軍地位協(xié)定》、為美軍在日本駐扎確立了法律標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。

“Prime Minister Abe and I are committed to strong defence co-operation through joint exercises, information sharing and defence industry collaboration,” Mr Turnbull said ahead of the leaders’ meeting. “We are working to formalise this in our reciprocal access agreement that will further enhance our defence interoperability.”

“安倍首相和我致力于通過聯(lián)合演習(xí)、情報(bào)共享和防務(wù)產(chǎn)業(yè)合作來(lái)開展強(qiáng)有力的防務(wù)合作，”特恩布爾在兩位領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人舉行會(huì)談前夕表示，“我們將致力于令其成為我們互惠準(zhǔn)入?yún)f(xié)議的正式組成部分，該協(xié)議將進(jìn)一步增強(qiáng)我們的防務(wù)互通性。”

The proposed “visiting forces agreement” is the latest step in a progressive deepening of diplomatic and military ties between Canberra and Tokyo, as they seek to respond to increasing tensions on the Korean peninsula and China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.

擬議的《軍隊(duì)到訪協(xié)議》是逐漸深化澳大利亞與日本之間外交與軍事合作的最新舉措，兩國(guó)試圖對(duì)朝鮮半島日益緊張的局勢(shì)以及中國(guó)在南中國(guó)海的領(lǐng)土主張作出回應(yīng)。

Donald Trump’s election as US president has also prompted both countries to intensify their efforts to build partnerships across the region, as they fear a potential US retreat from global leadership.

此外，唐納德•特朗普(Donald Trump)當(dāng)選美國(guó)總統(tǒng)也促使澳大利亞和日本加大努力增強(qiáng)在該地區(qū)的合作，他們擔(dān)心美國(guó)可能會(huì)退出全球領(lǐng)導(dǎo)地位。

“Japan doesn’t enter into these types of agreements lightly,” said Euan Graham, analyst at the Lowy Institute think-tank in Sydney. “This will provide a framework so the two countries do not have to negotiate separate agreements every time they want to conduct exercises.”

“日本不會(huì)輕率簽訂這類協(xié)議，”悉尼智庫(kù)洛伊研究所(Lowy Institute)分析師尤安•格雷厄姆(Euan Graham)表示，“這將提供一個(gè)框架，使兩國(guó)不必在每次希望開展演習(xí)時(shí)都要商談單獨(dú)的協(xié)議。”

Japanese officials said a “visiting forces agreement” would be complex and played down the chances of a conclusion this week. Mr Abe and Mr Turnbull may agree at the political level, however, and regional security issues would be at the centre of their wider discussion.

日本官員表示《軍隊(duì)到訪協(xié)議》十分復(fù)雜，他們淡化了本周達(dá)成協(xié)議的可能性。然而，安倍和特恩布爾可能會(huì)達(dá)成政治共識(shí)，地區(qū)安全問題將是他們更廣泛討論的核心。

Mr Abe’s diplomatic goal is to build a coalition in Asia around principles such as freedom of navigation, multilateral trade deals and the negotiated settlement of territorial disputes. He aims to make it harder for China to change the status quo with its growing economic and military power.

安倍的外交目標(biāo)是，圍繞航行自由、多邊貿(mào)易協(xié)議以及談判解決領(lǐng)土爭(zhēng)端等原則，在亞洲建立聯(lián)盟。他的目標(biāo)是讓中國(guó)更難以憑借其日益增長(zhǎng)的經(jīng)濟(jì)和軍事實(shí)力來(lái)改變現(xiàn)狀。

As one of the region’s largest and richest democracies, Australia is a top priority for Mr Abe. Tokyo regards Canberra as a “quasi-ally”: one of a handful of countries, including the UK, with which it shares objectives and military co-operation short of an alliance.

澳大利亞作為該地區(qū)最大也是最富有的民主國(guó)家之一，是安倍實(shí)現(xiàn)該目標(biāo)的重中之重。日本把澳大利亞視為“準(zhǔn)盟友”，即與日本擁有共同的目標(biāo)和軍事合作、但未建立聯(lián)盟關(guān)系的國(guó)家，包括英國(guó)在內(nèi)的幾個(gè)國(guó)家都屬于這一類。

Mr Turnbull has a similar goal in bolstering the rules-based order in Asia, a region that is central to Australia’s economic prosperity and security. In November Australian officials joined counterparts from Japan, India and the US at a meeting in Manila to restart the “quad” — a diplomatic initiative set up a decade ago to counterbalance China’s growing power in the region.

特恩布爾也有類似目標(biāo)，即支持基于規(guī)則的亞洲秩序。該地區(qū)是澳大利亞經(jīng)濟(jì)繁榮和國(guó)家安全的核心所在。去年11月，澳大利亞官員與日本、印度和美國(guó)官員一起參加了在馬尼拉召開的會(huì)議，重新啟動(dòng)了“四方安全對(duì)話”——10年前為制衡中國(guó)在亞洲不斷增長(zhǎng)的實(shí)力而提出的外交倡議。

Canberra has also adopted a tougher approach to China over the past year, passing laws against foreign interference in its own affairs and criticising Beijing’s aid programme in the South Pacific.

過去一年，澳大利亞還對(duì)中國(guó)采取了更為強(qiáng)硬的態(tài)度，通過了針對(duì)外國(guó)干涉本國(guó)事務(wù)的法律，并指責(zé)了北京方面在南太平洋地區(qū)的援助計(jì)劃。

Some critics warn Australia’s deepening defence relationship with Tokyo risks entangling it in Japan’s difficult relationship with China.

一些批評(píng)人士警告稱，澳大利亞不斷深化與日本的防務(wù)關(guān)系，有可能使其卷入日本與中國(guó)的緊張關(guān)系中。

Hugh White, professor at Australian National University, said a “visiting forces agreement” could prove to be a stepping stone towards a full military alliance with Japan.

澳大利亞國(guó)立大學(xué)(Australian National University)教授休•懷特(Hugh White)表示，《軍隊(duì)到訪協(xié)議》可能成為澳大利亞與日本建立全面軍事聯(lián)盟的敲門磚。

“Does anyone believe Australia and Japan’s strategic interests converge enough to support each other in the event of a conflict with China? This is muddled thinking,” he said.

他表示：“有人認(rèn)為澳大利亞與日本的戰(zhàn)略利益共同點(diǎn)多到足以讓雙方在與中國(guó)發(fā)生沖突時(shí)互相支持嗎?這是異想天開。”