100《经济学家》读译参考之一百：太空风雨起苍黄-怒而扰之战略令西方如坐针毡.doc

TEXT 100 China and space 中国与太空 Stormy weather 太空风雨起苍黄（陈继龙 编译） Jan 25th 2007 | BEIJING From The Economist print edition The test of an anti-satellite weapon rattles Chinas potential enemies 中国反卫星武器试验令其潜在的敌人感到不安 FIFTY years ago, Mao Zedong lamented that China could not even launch a potato into space. Now it has succeeded in hitting a weather satellite more than 800km (500 miles) above Earth with a ballistic[1] missile fired from the ground. Few other countries are cheering. 五十年前，毛泽东曾悲叹中国可能连个土豆也发射不上太空。现如今中国已经可以从地面发射一枚中程导弹，成功地击中距离地球800多公里（500多英里）的气象卫星了。除了中国，几乎没有哪个国家为此欢呼雀跃。 Chinas prolonged silence about its destruction of the Feng Yun 1-C satellite, which it launched in 1999, has been almost as unnerving[2] to its potential enemies (America, Japan and Taiwan especially) as the experiment itself. It was only this week—12 days after the event—that China grudgingly[3] admitted that it had tested something in space. （1）This has led to speculation that, as with an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, in military hospitals in 2002-03, the army has not kept all arms of government informed. With the satellite, China still will not describe openly what actually happened. 摧毁这枚自己在1999年发射的风云1-C卫星后，中国一直都不动声色。这几乎与试验本身一样，让中国潜在的敌人（美国、日本、尤其是台湾）感到惴惴不安。直到本周，也就是摧毁卫星12天后，中国才勉强承认在太空中进行过某个试验。这不免让人怀疑，像2002年到2003间军队医院暴发SARS时一样，军方并未知会政府所有职能部门。至于这颗卫星，中国仍旧不会开诚布公。 A foreign-ministry spokesman insisted that China would not engage in an arms race in space. Yet it is hard to see the test other than as a display of Chinas ability to challenge American space power. It has triggered a chorus of complaint from Western powers, as well as from neighbouring Japan and Taiwan. （2）China says it did brief American and Japanese officials, among others, on what happened—but not, it appears, until just before it confirmed the test to the press. 外交部一位发言人坚称，中国不会加入太空军备竞赛。但是不难发现，中国进行此次试验显然是为了显示自己有能力挑战美国太空霸权。此事也引起了西方强国及日本、台湾等周边国家和地区的不满。中国称其已就有关情况向美、日等国官员作过简要介绍，可是现在看来中国是在向媒体承认确有其事之后才这么做的。 China w