航母，將讓中國朝掌握台灣制空權的目標又近了一步

2011年04月28日 06:25 AM
中國航母“施琅”號
Chinese warship makes regional waves
作者：英國《金融時報》 席佳琳大連報導



At the Ikea store in Dalian, the city in north-eastern China, most customers last Thursday were middle-aged women sifting through textiles and tableware.


上週四，光顧大連宜家(Ikea)的顧客大多為中年女性，在紡織品和餐具貨架前精挑細選著。

In the bedding department, however, the activity was more unusual. One man was aiming a camera on a tripod through a glass door, zooming in on a ship across the harbour: China's first aircraft carrier.


但在臥具區域，卻出現了不尋常的一幕。一名男子正在給一部固定在三腳架上的相機調焦，鏡頭透過一扇玻璃門，對準了港口另一側的一艘船隻：中國首艘航空母艦。

Bought in 1998 from Ukraine as an unfinished hull, the Soviet-designed carrier Varyag is being given what Xinhua, the official news agency, says are the finishing touches.


這艘前蘇聯設計的瓦良格號(Varyag)航母於1998年購自烏克蘭，當時船體尚未完工。根據中國官方新聞社新華社的說法，目前改建工程已經進入收尾階段。

The carrier is expected to enter service this year as the Shi Lang, named after the 17th-century admiral who conquered Taiwan, the island that China considers a renegade province.


瓦良格號預計將在今年以“施琅”號的名字下水服役。施琅是17世紀攻克台灣島的海軍將領，而中國政府一直將台灣視為一個叛亂省份。

Since the ship emerged from dry dock last year, many Chinese military enthusiasts have made the pilgrimage to Dalian, equipped with telescopes and expensive cameras.


自去年瓦良格號在幹船塢露面以來，中國許多軍事迷紛紛帶著望遠鏡和昂貴的相機，前來大連朝聖。

“I've also been to the Wuhan [naval] shipyard to look at submarines, but this is better,” says the young man with the


“我已經去武漢（海軍）船塢看過潛艇了，但這次更令人興奮，”拿著三腳架的年輕人說道。

tripod.


在大連的許多高樓和高架橋上都能看到瓦良格號，但宜家三層的兩個緊急出口成了最佳觀賞點。

The ship can be seen from many high-rises and elevated roads in Dalian, but two Ikea emergency exits on the third floor have emerged as the preferred vantage points.


瓦良格號所引起的關注範圍遠遠超越了中國。美軍太平洋司令部司令羅伯特•威拉德上將(Robert Willard)最近表示，中國鄰國將嚴密關注瓦良格號。

The carrier is arousing interest far beyond China. Robert Willard, commander of US forces in the Pacific, recently said the ship would be watched closely by China's neighbours.


威拉德上將表示：“（我們的）區域合作夥伴認為中國此舉意義重大，而中國的軍力原本就已經有了顯著提升。”

“[Our] regional partners regard this step by the Chinese in the midst of what has otherwise been a remarkable growth in their military capability as significant,” Admiral Willard said.


美國及其它太平洋國家的海軍官員則表示，中國仍需多年時間才能真正操控航母。 “擁有航母是一回事兒，操控它乃至一個航母戰鬥群則完全是另一回事兒，”一名非中國海軍軍官如此表示。

Officers in the US navy and the navies of other Pacific-countries say China will need many years before it can effectively operate an aircraft carrier. “Owning a carrier is one thing, operating one, or even a carrier strike group, is something completely different ,” said one non-Chinese naval officer.


有鑑於此，加上中國人對航母的下水期待已久，估計瓦良格號對中​​國赶超美國海軍不會起到太大作用——占主宰地位的美國海軍，將成為中國海軍的終極挑戰目標。

Because of this, and because the carrier's launch has been expected for so long, the vessel is expected to do little to help China catch up with the US navy, the dominant naval power which the Chinese navy could eventually seek to challenge.


眼下，這種挑戰更有可能來自反艦彈道導彈。美國軍事專家認為，中國可能將反艦導彈對準美國航母。

For the time being, such a challenge is much more likely to come from an anti-ship ballistic missile with which US military experts believe China could target US carriers.


中國政府官員的一些言論則反映出，中國將航母視為其實力不斷增長的象徵。

Comments from Chinese government officials reveal the country views an aircraft carrier as a symbol of its growing power.


中國還相信，隨著中國經濟利益擴張，航母有助於中國海軍在遠離本土的水域更好地執行任務。

China also believes carriers could help its navy better carry out missions far away from China as its economic interests expand.


中國軍方的消息人士不願透露瓦良格號的潛在作戰功能，但獨立軍事分析人士表示，投入使用的航母，將讓中國朝掌握台灣制空權的目標又近了一步。

Chinese military sources are reluctant to address the potential combat functions of a carrier, but independent military analysts say that an operational carrier would bring China closer to its goal of air superiority over Taiwan.


對於中國人民解放軍(PLA)而言，施琅號服役將只是萬里長征的第一步。倫敦政治風險諮詢公司Exclusive Analysis研究中國海軍的專家加里•李(Gary Li)表示：“由於（中國海軍）即將駛入的是一片未知水域，第一艘航母必然將主要用於訓練。”

For the People's Liberation Army, taking the Shi Lang into service will be just the first step on this long road. “The first carrier will inevitably be mainly geared towards training as the [PLA Navy] will be sailing into uncharted waters,” says Gary Li, an expert on the Chinese navy at Exclusive Analysis, a political risk consultancy in London.


關於施琅號將部署在哪裡，或到底作何用，北京方面仍保持沉默。

Beijing remains silent on where the Shi Lang will be deployed or what exactly it will do with the ship.


加里•李表示，如果考慮到與現有海軍資源進行整合，駐紮在海南的南海艦隊將是最好的選擇。

Mr Li says that in terms of integrating it with existing navy capabilities, the South Sea Fleet base on Hainan Island would be the best choice.


他表示：“那裡已部署了最先進的護衛艦、驅逐艦及潛艇，一艘航母的加盟可以讓中國海軍在必要時，很容易就能組建一個戰鬥群。”

“The most modern frigates and destroyers as well as submarines are already based there, and the addition of a carrier would easily allow a battle group to be formed if needed,” he says.


譯者/何黎