社论转载：台湾要大选，中国要施压

 

各国总统们和总理们通常不会为其他国家的选举助选。但是，通过在新加坡与台湾执政党的那位已经不打算连任的党魁会面，中国国家主席习近平实际上就是在支持台湾国民党。

Presidents and prime ministers do not usually campaign in other countries’ elections. But Xi Jinping， the Chinese President， has in effect endorsed the governing party of Taiwan by meeting its departing leader in another country， Singapore.

 

台湾明年一月大选。但习的这种姿态可能已经太晚了。马英九的相对亲国家统一的国民党已经落后于民进党。而民进党大部分的支持者希望台湾独立。

The election doesn’t take place until January， but this gesture has probably come too late. Ma Ying-jeou’s party， the relatively pro-unification Kuomintang – which was once the governing party of China itself – is running behind the Democratic Progressive Party，most of whose voters would prefer independence for Taiwan.

 

两位元首很客气地按外交礼节称对方为“先生”，把自己的政府头衔留给他人去琢磨。但是，马先生并没能说服习先生同意台湾加入多个国际组织。因此，马习的会面没有什么实质内容。

The two presidents diplomatically addressed each other as “Mr.，” as if to leave open their respective statuses， but Mr. Ma did not prevail upon Mr. Xi to consent to Taiwanese participation in international organizations. So nothing concrete was really achieved.

 

虽然中国和台湾有巨额贸易，而且双方因台湾投资中国互利，但台湾国防几乎完全仰仗美国海军。因此，台湾海峡是国际秩序中最危险的断层之一。

Although there is a huge amount of trade between China and Taiwan and much mutually profitable Taiwanese investment into China， Taiwan is essentially defended by the U.S. Navy. So the Strait of Taiwan is one of the most dangerous fault lines in the world’s international order.

 

位于太平洋周边地区，台湾自然会想加入跨太平洋伙伴关系，以加强与邻国的经济往来。对于一些西方的政策制定者，TPP（Trans-Pacific Partnership，跨太平洋伙伴关系协定）的主要目的是“大战略”，即遏制中国和保持美国的霸权。但是，被一些人称为“北约经济组织”的TPP将加剧国际冲突。

Being on the Pacific Rim， Taiwan would naturally like to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership， to enhance economic relations with its neighbours. For some Western policy-makers， the main purpose of the TPP is a “grand strategy” to help contain China and maintain an American hegemony. But an “economic NATO，” as some people have called the TPP， would heighten international conflict.

 

如果TPP的下一个阶段把中国大陆和台湾也囊括进去，前提是如果确实有下一个阶段，并假设TPP立法在美国国会通过。显然，台湾巴不得如此。

It would be much better if the next phase of the TPP includes China and Taiwan – if indeed there is a next phase， and assuming that the present version of the TPP legislation gets through the U.S. Congress in the first place. Taiwan is more than willing.

 

往好里想，在一切都可能发生的世界，或者在一个接近完美的世界，中国接受或可能欢迎台湾同时加入TPP。但是，如果中国没有加入TPP，北京将很有可能对台施压，迫使它不参与TPP。

In the best of all possible worlds， or even somewhere far short of that， China would or could welcome Taiwan as a fellow member in the TPP. But if China did not join the trade deal， Beijing would probably put serious pressure on Taiwan not to join it either.

 

习近平可能没有在这一历史的会晤中解决任何实质性问题-。这是两国领导人自1949年以来的第一次。但是，习在提醒世界中国在该地区有利益同时，也向人们展示他是个能屈能伸的人。

Xi Jinping may not have accomplished anything specific with the historic meeting – the first between the two countries’ leaders since 1949 – but he demonstrated a sense of versatility while also reminding the world of China’s interests in the region.

 

编注：以上是加拿大全国发行的最大日报——《环球邮报》2015年11月11日发表的社论。大中报贾宁扬编译。

Note: The Editorial was published by The Globe and Mail on November 11, 2015. Translated by Jack Jia, Chinese News.