日本抗议中国直升机抵近日本军舰 Tokyo protests after Chinese helicopter buzzes its warship

Tokyo has protested to Beijing over the “extremely dangerous” actions of a Chinese military helicopter that buzzed a Japanese destroyer operating in the sensitive waters of the East China Sea.

日本已就一架中国军用直升机在东海敏感水域抵近一艘日本护卫舰飞行这一“极其危险的”行为，向中国政府提出抗议。

The incident highlights the potential for friction between east Asia’s leading powers as China’s potent military becomes a more assertive maritime figure in the region.

这一事件突显东亚两大强国之间擦枪走火的可能性。强大的中国军队正在该地区成为更加自信的海上力量。

It is the latest in a string of incidents in which regional neighbours have accused Chinese vessels or helicopters of reckless behaviour at sea.

近年亚洲邻国多次指控中国舰船或直升机在海上做出危险动作，上述事件是最新一例。

Last week, Manila protested at an incident in which it said Chinese patrol boats threatened to ram a Philippine survey vessel in the strategically important and resource-rich South China Sea.

菲律宾上周抗议称，在具有战略重要性且资源丰富的南海地区，中国巡逻船威胁要撞击一艘菲律宾探油船。

Concerns at China’s rising power prompted Tokyo last year to order a sweeping reordering of its military forces intended to give it a stronger and more mobile presence in southern Japanese islands bordering the East China Sea.

出于对中国实力不断增强的担忧，去年日本政府下令全面调整军力部署，以求在毗邻东海的日本南部诸岛增强兵力，并提高其机动性。

Japan’s defence ministry said the Chinese helicopter had been flying at an altitude of just 40m when it came within a horizontal distance of about 70m from the destroyer Samidare on Monday.

日本防卫省表示，在上述事件中，中国直升机以仅40米的飞行高度接近日本海上自卫队的“五月雨号”(Samidare)护卫舰，当时双方水平距离约为70米。

“This behaviour is ext­r­em­ely dangerous,” Tosh­imi Kitazawa, Japan’s defence minister, said. Tokyo had already protested to Beijing “through diplomatic channels”, he added.

“这种行为极其危险，”日本防卫大臣北泽俊美(Toshimi Kitazawa)表示。他补充称，东京方面已“通过外交渠道”向北京方面提出抗议。

The East China Sea is a focus of Sino-Japanese tensions, with both sides claiming vast areas of its resource-rich waters as their own exclusive economic zones.

东海是中日关系紧张的焦点，两国都宣称大片资源丰富的水域属于自己的专属经济区。

A Japanese defence ministry official declined to give details of where the latest incident occurred but denied reports it was near the controversial Chunxiao gas field, where Tokyo says Chinese drilling operations could be drawing gas from across the “median line” it claims as the border of its exclusive economic zone.

日本防卫省一名官员拒绝说明最新事件的具体方位，但否认了有关其靠近有争议的春晓天然气田的报道。日本表示，中方在春晓的钻采作业，可能从“中线”（日方宣称其为该国专属经济区边界）的另一边抽走天然气资源。

In 2008, Beijing and Tokyo said they would work together to exploit gas reserves in disputed areas, but progress has stalled. Beijing halted discussions on joint gas development last year after a Chinese fishing boat clashed with Japanese coastguards near disputed islands known as the Senkakus in Japanese and the Diaoyus in Chinese.

2008年，中日曾宣布，两国将在有争议海域合作开发天然气储备，但进展已经停滞。去年，在一艘中国渔船和日本海上保安厅巡视船在有争议的钓鱼岛（日本称为尖阁列岛）附近水域发生冲突后，中方叫停了有关联合天然气开发的商讨。

Military officials from south-east Asian countries say Beijing has been evading dialogue on conflict- prevention in disputed waters.

一些东南亚国家的军事官员表示，中国一直在回避有关在有争议水域预防冲突的对话。

The Chinese government says it has been working to assuage regional concerns triggered by its growing power. “We realise that some people doubt our strategy of peaceful development and have concerns over China’s rise,” said a Beijing official involved in foreign policy planning. But he blamed those doubts on foreigners’ ill will and failure to understand China.

中国政府表示，自己一直在努力化解亚洲邻国对于中国实力增强的关切。“我们意识到一些人对我们的和平发展战略抱有疑虑，对中国的崛起存在担忧，”一名参与外交政策规划的北京官员表示。但他把那些疑虑归咎于外国人的敌意和不能理解中国。