越南在南海岛礁部署火箭发射器

AS IT IS 2016-08-11 Vietnam Moves Rocket Launchers into South China Sea 越南在南海岛礁部署火箭发射器

Officials say Vietnam has moved mobile rocket launchers to several islands in the South China Sea. The move is likely to raise tensions with China in the disputed area.

Western diplomats¹ and military officials told the Reuters news agency that Vietnam moved the launchers to five bases in the Spratly Islands in recent months. They say these rocket launchers can attack Chinese military locations in the disputed waters.

Reuters reports that the launchers cannot be seen from the air and have not yet been armed. But sources say they could be armed with rockets within two or three days.

Vietnam’s foreign ministry² said the information was “inaccurate” without giving any detail.

In June, Vietnam's Deputy Defense³ Minister said the country had no such launchers or weapons in the Spratly Islands. But he added that Vietnam had the right “to self-defense to move any of our weapons to any area at any time within our sovereign territory."

On Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry released a statement saying "China has indisputable sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and nearby waters." The statement also says that China opposes “illegal construction and military deployments” on the islands.

Carl Thayer is a Vietnam expert at the Australian Defense Force Academy. He said Vietnam’s defensive⁵ movements show how serious the country is about possible hostile actions by China.

He added that “China is unlikely to see this as purely⁶ defensive, and it could mark a new stage of militarization of the Spratlys."

In 1988, China and Vietnam fought a sea battle to control parts of the Spratly Islands. Sixty-four Vietnamese soldiers were killed trying to defend the country’s flag on South Johnson reef.

Last February, Vietnam condemned⁷ China’s deployment⁴ of missiles on Woody Island in the South China Sea. Vietnam said it "threatens peace and stability in the region as well as security, safety and freedom of navigation and flight."

Military experts believe the rocket launchers are part of a rocket system purchased from Israel. The system, known as EXTRA, can attack both ships and land targets up to a range of 150 kilometers. EXTRA is considered to be easily movable and effective against multiple targets at the same time.

Experts say it is the most noteworthy defensive move Vietnam has made in the South China Sea in more than 20 years. It is designed to counter China's build-up on reclaimed⁸ islands in the disputed waters.

Vietnam placed the launchers after an international court ruled against China in a case brought by the Philippines.

The July ruling dismissed China’s claim of “historic title” to much of the South China Sea.

1 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

5 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

6 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

7 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

8 reclaimed   

adj.再生的；翻造的；收复的；回收的v.开拓( reclaim的过去式和过去分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救

参考例句：

• Many sufferers have been reclaimed from a dependence on alcohol. 许多嗜酒成癖的受害者已经被挽救过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They reclaimed him from his evil ways. 他们把他从邪恶中挽救出来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》