News English - 233

Tensions Rise in the South China Sea

For many people around the world, including even some in Asia, the South China Sea does not seem all that important. After all, there doesn’t seem to be much in this area, except for miles of empty ocean and a few islands scattered here and there. However, some experts claim that this part of the world is actually a dangerous, potential flashpoint that could lead to big trouble, and perhaps even war, in the region.

The conflict over this territory in the South China Sea actually goes back for centuries. For years, different countries have claimed sovereignty over different parts of the ocean and the islands there. Altogether, six countries, including Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei, have laid claim to all or part of this disputed area of the South China Sea.

Over the last fifty years, there have been several minor conflicts between different countries over this territory. However, tensions now seem to be even further on the rise. Recently, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China does not have any historical claim to the South China Sea. In addition, China’s recent actions, which include building military bases on the islands in the South China, have violated the sovereign rights of the Philippines, according to the court.      

China dismissed the ruling and actually boycotted the hearing. It defiantly stated that it would continue to build new airports on the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島). A representative from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that China has a 2,000-year-old history in the South China Sea and a map from 1948 is proof of the country’s claim to the area.    

For the new Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen, the controversy over the South China Sea is seen as the first real test of her ability as well as her foreign policy. Recently, her administration came to an internal resolution that reaffirmed Taiwan’s claims to sovereignty over to the islands here, including Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島). Tsai’s government was seen as trying to differentiate itself from China’s claims to the area.     

For its part, the United States of America still regards the South China Sea as international waters, and it has deliberately sent its naval ships through this area to demonstrate this.      

Experts say that the South China Sea is important because it may contain oil or other valuable natural resources. Therefore, control over the shipping lanes here is also very valuable. It can only be hoped that the conflict over this area will soon be resolved peacefully by all of the countries involved.

Reading Comprehension

(     ) 1. What is the main topic of this article?

         (A) Pollution and other environmental problems in the South China Sea.

         (B) The short, peaceful history of the South China Sea.

         (C) Resolving conflicts through the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

         (D) The growing problems and tension in the South China Sea.

(     ) 2. The word “sovereignty” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning

         to “_______.”

         (A) wealth       (B) law               (C) power       (D) military

(     ) 3. According to the passage, which of the following countries is NOT involved in

         the conflict?

         (A) Brunei.      (B) The Philippines.     (C) Malaysia.     (D) Japan.

(     ) 4. What can be inferred from the passage?

         (A) The conflict in the South China Sea began just recently.

         (B) Not much of importance is happening in the South China Sea at the moment.

         (C) The conflict in the South China Sea is complicated; it has a long history.

         (D) This is a conflict between the United States and China only.

(     ) 5. What does the author hope will happen in the South China Sea?

         (A) The United States will take control of this area.

         (B) The six countries involved will rule over it together.

         (C) The conflict there will be resolved peacefully.

         (D) The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague will settle the matter.

Vocabulary and Phrases

1. scatter [`sk8t2] vi. 分散，散開

．The students soon scattered when the class was dismissed.

2. claim [klem] vt. 聲稱，斷言

．Peter claimed that he was Natalie Portman’s classmate but no one believed him.

3. potential [p1`tEnS1l] adj. 可能的，潛在的

．Eating too much greasy food and desserts may pose a potential threat to one’s health.

4. flashpoint [`fl8S&pOInt] n. [C] 危機即將爆發的地點

．The Middle East is a flashpoint because of complex religions and benefits of the oil.

5. sovereignty [`sAvrIntI] n. [U] 主權，統治權

  sovereign [`sAvrIn] n. [C] 君主，元首

．The sovereignty of the land is still a big problem because of the different and disputed borders.

．The last sovereign of the United Kingdom is Queen Anne, who is also called the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland.

6. lay claim to [`le klem `tu] phr. 聲稱…歸其所有

．Kevin laid claim to the possession of his dead mother’s house.

7. rule [rul] vt. 裁決，判定  

．The court has ruled that the prisoner, who killed an innocent child randomly, is

sentenced to the death penalty.

8. disputed [dI`spjutId] adj. 有爭議的

．Donald Trump has made a lot of disputed issues, such as racial and sexual discrimination.

9. dismiss [dIs`mIs] vt. 對…不予理會

．The manager dismissed the idea that Susan came up with in the meeting.

10. defiantly [dI`faI1ntlI] adv. 違抗地，挑釁地

．Jason’s competitor spoke out defiantly to him before the game started.

11. representative [rEprI`zEnt1tIv] n. [C] 代表

  ．Judy was pointed to be our school’s representative to attend the speech contest.

12. administration [1d&mIn1`streS1n] n. [C] 政府任期

．The Iraq War happened during the Bush administration.

13. resolution [&rEz1`luS1n] n. [C] 決議，正式決定

．The United Kingdom passed the resolution to exit the EU.

14. reaffirm [&ri1`f3m] vt. 重申，再次聲明

．The spokesman of the police headquarters reaffirmed that he didn’t have any connection to the bribe.

15. differentiate [&dIf1`rEnSI&et] vt. 區別，辨別

．What differentiates humans from animals is language.

16. deliberately [dI`lIb1retlI] adv. 故意地

．After arguing, Ian deliberately tumbled Frank and stared with scorn at him.

17. demonstrate [`dEm1n&stret] vt. 顯示，表明

  ．The extreme weather demonstrates that human beings should be aware of our

    natural environment.

18. shipping [`SIpI9] n. [U] 運輸；(尤指) 船運，海運

  ．The shipping fee of your products is 60 dollars.

19. resolve [rI`zolv] vt. 解決；解除

  ．The couple tried to resolve the problem they met and went through everything

    together.

20. involve [In`volv] vt. 牽涉；包含

   ．The oil scandal involved many famous companies, which made a lot of people

     disappointed about it.

Words for Recognition

1. South China Sea [`saUT `tSaIn1 si] n. 南海

  位於東南亞，西太平洋的一部分，菲律賓又稱之為「西菲律賓海」。南海海域面積

有350萬平方公里，其中有超過200個無人居住的島嶼和岩礁，這些島礁被合稱為南海諸島。除了是主要的海上運輸航線外，南海據信還蘊藏著豐富的石油和天然氣。

2. here and there [`hIr `8nd `DEr] phr. 到處，在各處

3. Brunei [bru`naI] n. 汶萊

  汶萊達魯薩蘭國，也作汶萊和平之國，簡稱汶萊或文萊，是東南亞「主權、民

  主和獨立的馬來穆斯林蘇丹國」。 1984年脫離英國和平獨立。盛產石油與天

  然氣。

4. on the rise [`An `D1 `raIz] phr. 增加，上漲

5. Permanent Court of Arbitration [`p3m1nm1nt `kort 1v &Arb1`treS1n] n.

  常設仲裁法院位於荷蘭海牙的國際仲裁機構。該院基於國家之間或者國家與私

  人之間的合意，處理他們之間的爭端。常設仲裁法院並不是一個國家之間的法

  庭。爭議雙方可以請求該院對其進行仲裁、調解或者僅僅是調查事實。

6. The Hague [heg] n. 海牙

  荷蘭第三大城市，在阿姆斯特丹和鹿特丹之後。海牙並不是荷蘭的首都，但它

  是中央政府所在地，所有的中央政府機關與外國使館幾乎都位於此。

7. Spratly Islands [`spr8tlI] n. 南沙群島

  南沙群島是華人對該群島的稱呼，西方社會以及其以往的殖民地一般稱之為斯

  普拉特利群島。南沙群島是南海中南海諸島的四大群島中位置最南、島礁最

  多、分布最廣的一組群島，也是爭議最多的島嶼群。

8. Ministry of Foreign Affairs [`mInIstrI 1v fOrIn 1`fErz] n. 外交部

  外交部是一個主權國家負責國家對外事務的專門政府機關，與國家對外事務或

  相關領域事務劃歸外交部負責，如經貿商務、援助合作及宗教和移民事務。

9. Itu Aba Island [&itu `AbA `aIl1nd]  n. 太平島

   從前傳統的中國漁民都稱呼這座島嶼為「黃山馬峙」，而「峙」是「高聳」的

   意思。日本人稱呼這座島嶼為長島。而中文以外的航海地圖，把太平島命名

   為伊圖阿巴(Itu Aba Island)，而「伊圖阿巴」是馬來語「那是什麼」的意思。

10. naval [`nevL] adj. 海軍的，軍艦的

Translation

南海緊張局勢加劇

對世界上許多人，甚至包括一些亞洲人來說，南海似乎並不是那麼的重要。畢竟，這個地區什麼都沒有，除了一望無際的海和一些零散在四處的島嶼。但是，一些專家聲稱，這個地區事實上既危險又棘手，且可能會引發戰爭。

關於南海領域的衝突可以追溯至幾世紀前。近幾年來，不同的國家都宣稱它們在那裡擁有部份領海和島嶼的主權，總共有六個國家，包括臺灣、中國大陸、菲律賓、越南、馬來西亞，以及汶萊，都聲稱南海的所有或部分爭議地區都歸其所有。

過去50年來，在這塊領域曾經有過幾次小衝突。但是南海緊張的局勢現在似乎越演越烈。最近位於荷蘭海牙的國際常設仲裁法院，裁決中國大陸對南海並沒有任何歷史權利。此外，根據法院的判決，中國大陸最近的行動，包括在南海的諸島上建造軍事基地，已經觸犯了菲律賓的國家主權。

但中國大陸對於此項裁決不予理會，事實上還在公聽會上杯葛這次的判決。中國大陸以挑釁的姿態宣稱，它還會繼續在南沙群島建設新的機場。一位中國大陸外交部的代表聲稱，中國對於南海主權有2000年的歷史，並且提出1948年的地圖來證明對此區域的所有權。

對臺灣新上任的總統蔡英文來說，南海爭議似乎是第一個真正的考驗，考驗她的能力以及外交政策。最近，蔡英文政府決議並重申，臺灣對於太平島有絕對的主權。蔡英文政府被認為想和中國官方對於南海的主張有所區別。

對這次爭議，美國政府仍然視南海為國際海域，並且刻意派出軍艦航行南海來證明此說法。

專家表示，南海是重要的區域，因為它有可能蘊藏石油及其他珍貴的天然資源。且掌控這裡的海運航線也非常重要。但我們只能期許所有牽涉南海衝突的國家可以盡快和平地解決。

閱讀測驗解答：1. D  2. C  3. D  4. C  5. C