Britain plans to sail two new aircraft carriers through contested Asian waters at a time of rising tensions between China and the US.

　　英国计划派遣两艘新型航母赴亚洲争议海域巡航。目前中美之间紧张局势不断加剧。

　　Boris Johnson, foreign secretary, said on Thursday that Britain was stepping up its commitment to the Asia-Pacific region following its dispatch of Typhoon aircraft to Japan and South Korea last year.

　　英国外交大臣鲍里斯?约翰逊(Boris Johnson)周四表示，自去年向日本和韩国派遣“台风”(Typhoon)战机后，英国将加强其对亚太地区的承诺。

　　“One of the first things we will do with the two new colossal aircraft carriers that we have just built is send them on a freedom of navigation operation to this area,” he said in Sydney.

　　他在悉尼称：“我们刚刚建造的两艘新的巨型航母首先要做的事情之一，就是派它们到这一地区展开航行自由行动。”

　　HMS Queen Elizabeth is due to come into service in 2020 but HMS Prince of Wales is not due until 2023.

　　英国皇家海军“伊丽莎白女王”号(HMS Queen Elizabeth)将于2020年服役，而“威尔士亲王”号(HMS Prince of Wales)服役要等到2023年。

　　Mr Johnson said the aim was “to vindicate our belief in the rules-based international system and the freedom of navigation through those waterways which are absolutely vital to world trade”.

　　约翰逊称，此举旨在“强化我们对基于规则的国际体系以及这些对世界贸易至关重要的航道航行自由的信念”。

　　Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Renmin University in Beijing, said: “This kind of action is not helpful to the relationship between China and Great Britain. China will be very much displeased. This shows that Britain might be changing its quite favourable attitude based on highlighting economic relations”.

　　在北京，中国人民大学国际关系学教授时殷弘说:“此举对中英关系没有好处。中国将非常不悦。这表明，英国可能在改变其建立在注重经贸关系之上的对华相当有利的态度。”

　　China’s foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment.

　　记者未能立即联系到中国外交部请其置评。

　　China lays claim to almost the entire South China Sea, a vital trade route and a lucrative fishing area. This has caused tensions with Asian neighbours and Washington, which has vowed to uphold the rule of law and freedom of navigation.

　　中国宣称对几乎整个南中国海拥有主权，该海域有着至关重要的贸易航道，还有丰富的渔业资源。这引发了中国与亚洲邻国及华盛顿关系紧张，美国已誓言要维护法治和航行自由。

　　Euan Graham, an analyst at the Lowy Institute think-tank, said Mr Johnson’s commitment to Asian waters was unlikely to take effect until the early 2020s when the carriers would be ready to sail to the region.

　　智库洛伊研究所(Lowy Institute)的分析师尤安?格雷厄姆(Euan Graham)表示，约翰逊对亚洲海域的承诺要等到本世纪20年代初才能兑现，届时英国的两艘航母才能准备好开赴该地区。

　　“There will be a gap before this takes place,” he said.

　　“在这之前，将会有一个空白时期，”他说。