中國在巴基斯坦拓展新絲綢之路

China has been quietly holding talks with Pakistani tribal separatists for more than five years in an effort to protect the $60bn worth of infrastructure projects it is financing as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

中國已經與巴基斯坦的部族分離主義者悄悄談判了五年多，目的是保護它出資建設的價值600億美元的基礎設施項目，這些基礎設施是中巴經濟走廊(China-Pakistan Economic Corridor)的一部分。

Three people with knowledge of the talks told the Financial Times that Beijing had been in direct contact with militants in the south-western state of Baluchistan, where many of the scheme’s most important projects are located.

三名了解談判情況的人士告訴英國《金融時報》，北京方面早已與巴基斯坦西南部俾路支省(Baluchistan)的武裝分子直接接觸。中巴經濟走廊的許多重要項目位于該省。

For more than half a century, Beijing has maintained a policy of non-interference in the domestic politics of other countries. But that has been tested by its desire to protect the billions of dollars it is investing around the world under its Belt and Road Initiative to create a “new Silk Road” of trade routes in Europe, Asia and Africa.

半個多世紀以來，北京堅持不干涉別國內政的政策。但這一點在近年受到考驗，因為中國渴望保護其在“一帶一路”倡議(Belt and Road Initiative)下做出的巨額境外投資。該倡議的目的是開辟一條“新絲綢之路”，即通往歐洲、亞洲和非洲的貿易通道。

In Pakistan, Beijing appears keen to fill the void left by Washington, which has drifted from its former ally after becoming frustrated at Islamabad’s failure to tackle extremism. Beijing’s willingness to get involved in Pakistani politics has fuelled concerns in New Delhi, which is worried about China’s growing political influence in neighbouring countries, including Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

在巴基斯坦，北京似乎渴望填補華盛頓留下的空白;對于伊斯蘭堡未能對付極端主義產生挫敗感的華盛頓，與巴基斯坦這個前盟友逐漸疏遠。北京方面介入巴基斯坦政治的意愿引發(fā)了新德里的擔憂，后者擔心中國在其鄰國(包括尼泊爾、緬甸和斯里蘭卡)的政治影響力日益增長。

“The Chinese have quietly made a lot of progress,” said one Pakistani official. “Even though separatists occasionally try to carry out the odd attack, they are not making a forceful push.”

“中國人已經悄悄取得了很大進展，”一名巴基斯坦官員表示。“即使分離主義者偶爾嘗試發(fā)起零星的襲擊，他們也沒有作出強烈回應。”

As it seeks to boost the Chinese economy, China’s plans for a new Silk Road has pitched Beijing into some of the world’s most complex conflict zones.

隨著中國試圖促進經濟發(fā)展，其開辟新絲綢之路的計劃已經使北京方面涉足世界上一些最復雜的沖突地區(qū)。

Chinese peacekeepers are already in South Sudan, where Beijing has invested in oilfields and is planning to build a rail line. China has also contributed troops to a UN peacekeeping operation in Mali and even talked about launching attacks against Isis in Iraq, where it has been the largest foreign investor in the country’s oil sector.

中國維和部隊已經進駐南蘇丹，北京在那里投資開發(fā)了油田，還計劃建造鐵路線。中國還為馬里的聯(lián)合國維和行動貢獻了部隊，甚至還談到打擊伊拉克境內的“伊拉克和黎凡特伊斯蘭國”(ISIS);中國是伊拉克石油業(yè)最大的外國投資者。

Pakistan, which is set to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the infrastructure initiative, is one of the riskiest parts of the world in which to do business. Last year 10 local workers were killed by unidentified gunmen while working near Gwadar port, the linchpin of the economic corridor.

將成為“一帶一路”倡議最大受益者之一的巴基斯坦，也是世界上營商風險最高的司法管轄區(qū)之一。去年，10名巴基斯坦工人在中巴經濟走廊的關鍵樞紐瓜達爾港(Gwadar port)附近工作時，被身份不明的武裝分子殺害。

Some have warned that China’s investment could lead to Pakistan being treated like a client state by Beijing, despite promises that Chinese troops would not be stationed there. 一些人已警告稱，中國的投資可能導致巴基斯坦被北京當作一個附庸國，盡管各方承諾中國不會在巴基斯坦駐軍。

“The Belt and Road Initiative is portrayed as an economic project to boost infrastructure and connectivity but, increasingly, it has significant local political and strategic dimensions,” said Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“一帶一路倡議被描繪成一個促進基建和連通性的經濟項目，但是，它日益具有重大的地方政治和戰(zhàn)略層面，”倫敦國際戰(zhàn)略研究所(IISS)的高級研究員拉胡爾•羅依-喬杜里(Rahul Roy-Chaudhury)表示。

Pakistani officials, however, have welcomed the talks between Baluch rebels and Chinese envoys, even if they do not know the details of what has been discussed. “Ultimately, if there’s peace in Baluchistan, that will benefit both of us,” said one official in Islamabad.

不過，巴基斯坦官員對俾路支叛亂分子與中國特使之間的談判表示歡迎，即使他們不知道討論細節(jié)。“歸根結底，如果俾路支省有和平，那對我們都有好處，”伊斯蘭堡的一名官員表示。

Another said the recent decision by the US to suspend security assistance to Pakistan had convinced many in Islamabad that China was a more genuine partner. “[The Chinese] are here to stay and help Pakistan, unlike the Americans, who cannot be trusted,” the person said.

另一名官員表示，美國最近決定暫停對巴基斯坦的安全援助，已使伊斯蘭堡許多人相信中國是一個更真誠的合作伙伴。 “(中國人)在這里會一直留下來，幫助巴基斯坦，不像不可信任的美國人，”此人表示。

Pakistan is planning to buy Chinese military helicopters and components for surveillance drones as part of its plan to fortify its border with Afghanistan with a 2,600km-long fence.

巴基斯坦計劃購買中國軍用直升機和無人監(jiān)視飛機部件，作為其沿著阿富汗邊界建造一道2600公里長的鐵絲網屏障、從而強化邊防的計劃的一部分。

Chinese officials did not comment on the talks, though the Chinese ambassador to Islamabad said in a recent interview with the BBC that militants in Baluchistan were no longer a threat to the economic corridor.

中國官員沒有對談判置評，盡管中國駐巴基斯坦大使最近在伊斯蘭堡接受英國廣播公司(BBC)采訪時表示，俾路支省的武裝分子已不再對經濟走廊構成威脅。

One provincial tribal leader said many young men had been persuaded to lay down their weapons by the promise of financial benefits. “Today, young men are not getting attracted to join the insurgents as they did some 10 years ago,” he said. “Many people see prosperity” as a result of the China-Pakistan corridor, he said.

該省的一名部落領導人表示，經濟利益的承諾已經說服許多年輕人放下武器。“如今的年輕人已經不像10年前那樣容易受到加入叛亂武裝的吸引，”他說。他表示，許多人認為中巴經濟走廊帶來了繁榮。

This article has been amended to reflect that the 10 workers killed near Gwadar port last year were Pakistanis

譯者/何黎