英语新闻丨台湾海峡不是西方军舰的天下

Whenever the word Taiwan is uttered by certain Western politicians it has become their habit to accompany it with an accusing finger pointed at Beijing. Sticking faithfully to the script written by Washington, they try to paint the picture that Beijing is using "threats, coercion, intimidation or the use of force" in a bid to change the status quo.

每当某些西方政客提到台湾这个词时，他们就会习惯性地将矛头转过来指责中国。这些政客奉美国谱写的剧本为圭臬，试图描绘出一副中国正用“威胁、胁迫、恐吓或使用武力”来改变现状的画面。

Some have even tried to link the Taiwan question with the conflict in Ukraine.

有些政客甚至试图将台湾问题与乌克兰冲突联系起来。

Such talk is irresponsible and has been firmly rebutted by Beijing, which has repeatedly clarified that the Taiwan question is an internal affair and therefore fundamentally different from the Ukraine issue. Which is something that even the countries hyping up the claim that the Chinese mainland is itching to use force implicitly acknowledge as they all say they adhere to the one-China policy.

中国坚决反驳这种不负责任的言论，中国一再强调，台湾问题是中国内政，与乌克兰问题有着本质的区别。即使是那些大肆宣扬中国迫不及待要使用武力的国家也都承认这一点，因为他们都表示坚持一个中国政策。

The United States has made no bones about the fact that it is using the Taiwan question as part of its "Indo-Pacific" China-containment strategy, and many of its allies, such as the United Kingdom and Japan, are tagging along for the ride as they have forgotten how to stand on their own two feet.

美国毫不掩饰将台湾问题作为其用来遏制中国的“印太战略”的一部分，包括英国、日本在内的美国盟友们也纷纷行动，它们尾随美国之后，已经忘记了如何自食其力。

Some countries in the European Union, however, seem caught on the horns of a dilemma, as whether to go all-in with the US or not in its efforts to suppress China's rise has become a pressing question that will determine if the bloc asserts or surrenders its strategic autonomy.

然而，欧盟的一些国家似乎陷入了两难的境地，在美国压制中国崛起的行动中，是否与美国同流合污已成为一个紧迫的问题，这将决定欧盟是坚持还是放弃其战略自主权。

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell shed some light on the pickle the EU has got itself into in an article published in a French weekly on Sunday.

4月23日，欧盟外交与安全事务高级代表何塞·博雷利（音译）在法国某周刊发表的一篇文章中阐明了欧盟陷入的困境。

Calling for European nations to send warships to the Taiwan Strait to "signify Europe's commitment to freedom of navigation", he said that Taiwan "concerns us economically, commercially and technologically". And he explained why — "because Taiwan has a strategic role in the production of the most advanced semiconductors". That this comment came after he attended the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Japan is probably no coincidence. It echoes similar remarks of the top diplomat of the US in the meeting.

博雷利呼吁欧洲国家向台湾海峡派遣军舰以“表明欧洲对航行自由的承诺”，他说台湾“在经济、商业和技术上都与欧盟有关”。他解释了原因——“因为台湾在生产最先进的半导体方面具有战略作用”。博雷利发表此番言论的时间正好在出席了日本举办的七国集团外长会议后，恐怕并非巧合。这与七国集团外长会议上美国国务卿的类似言论相呼应。

But putting aside the fact the semiconductor risk comes from Washington, which is trying to get an exclusive and iron grip on the production of the most advanced semiconductors, it shows that the EU hierarchy at least is still intent on toeing Washington's line. The only reason Borrell would call for European warships to patrol the Taiwan Strait is to please Washington. Why? Because, the EU leaders, who are of a certain generation, believe the bloc has "a major security concern, Ukraine".

但抛开半导体风险是美国制造这一事实不谈，美国正试图牢牢地、独裁地掌控最先进半导体的生产，这表明欧盟高层至少仍打算听从美国的安排。博雷利呼吁欧洲军舰巡逻台湾海峡的唯一原因是为了取悦美国。为什么呢？因为这一代的欧盟领导人认为欧盟有“一个主要的安全问题“，即乌克兰。

But Borrell — and other Western politicians — should know that European warships sailing though the Taiwan Strait is not conducive to peace and stability. Every time they do so, it will be a provocative move to intervene in China's internal affairs.

但博雷利和其他西方政客应该知道，欧洲军舰在台湾海峡航行不利于和平与稳定。他们每次这样做，都将是干涉中国内政的挑衅行为。

Any such provocation risks disaster as it is foolishly playing with fire.

任何此类挑衅都可能引发灾难，因为这是在愚蠢地玩火。

Internal

英/ɪnˈtɜːn(ə)l/ 美/ɪnˈtɜːrn(ə)l/

adj.内政的，国内的

Strait

英/streɪt/ 美/streɪt/

n.海峡

Semiconductor

英/ˌsemikənˈdʌktə(r)/ 美/ˈsemikəndʌktər/

n.半导体