Five Hungry Dragons
五条饥饿的龙
ASEAN's drift relative to a unified, determined China coincides with a dramatic surge in Chinese maritime strength. Foreign observers' attention is understandably riveted on the more conspicuous military dimension of China's sea power, as manifest in high-end destroyers, stealth fighters and the nation's first aircraft carrier. But the non-naval maritime services constitute an important—and largely overlooked—facet of Chinese nautical prowess.
东盟的不给力和中国海上力量的增强同时发生，外国观察家的注意力很自然的被那些军事上发展所吸引，像隐身飞机航空母舰一类的，但是非海军的海上力量的发展是中国海上力量发展很重要但又很少有人注意的一部分。
Indeed, Beijing is evidently expanding the five dragons faster than the PLA Navy. The maritime-enforcement services are recruiting new manpower while taking delivery of decommissioned naval vessels. Furthermore, Chinese shipyards are turning out state-of-the-art cutters like sausages. Many are capable of sustained patrols in the farthest reaches of the China seas, assuring that China can maintain a visible presence in waters where it asserts sovereign jurisdiction. Indeed, Haijan 84, one of China's most modern law-enforcement vessels, occupied the epicenter of this week's imbroglio. Not the navy but China Marine Surveillance, an agency entrusted with protecting China's exclusive economic zones, dispatched Haijan 84to the scene.
北京正在以比海军还快的速度来发展“五条龙”。海上执法机构正在同时扩充人力和接受退役海军船只。中国的造船厂还在大造特造新船。很多船只都能在最偏远的地方持续执法。这样中国能在那些地方持续出现并行使司法权。现在黄岩岛大出风头的海监84就是负责保护中国海上经济专属区机构海监局的船只。
Beijing's buildup of nonmilitary sea power testifies to its balanced approach to managing the nation's nautical surroundings. Employing non-naval assets in clashes over territory reveals a sophisticated, methodical strategy for securing China's maritime claims throughout Asian waters. Best of all from China's standpoint, this strategy artfully widens fissures in ASEAN's already crumbling edifice. Clausewitz would nod approvingly.
北京的这种发展非军事力量的行为说明其对管理海上利益时平衡的做法。在海域争端中派出非海军舰船是一种完善及有效的做法，对中国来说，这种做法能有效的让本来就不行的东盟更加不行。克劳塞维茨一定会赞赏这种做法的。
First, using coast-guard-like assets reinforces China's diplomatic messaging. Sending warships to shoo away Philippine ships would indicate that China accepts that it is competing for territory claimed by others. Sending enforcement vessels, by contrast, matter-of-factly signals that China is policing sovereign waters. Chinese skippers can act against foreign vessels while diplomats condemn Southeast Asian governments for infringing on China's sovereignty and violating domestic law. Furthermore, relying on non-naval vessels partially inoculates Beijing against the charge that it is practicing gunboat diplomacy. China's narrative: this isn't diplomacy at all, it's routine law enforcement!
首先，用类似海岸警卫队一类的机构来加强中国的外交说辞。派战舰吓走菲律宾船只将被认为中国接受这是在和其他国家有领土争端。而使用执法船只，不言自明中国是在本土执法。中国的船长能一边对抗，一边在外交上攻击东南亚政府侵害中国主权和违法中国国内法。同时，使用非海军船只还能部分回应中国执行“炮舰外交”的指责。中国的说法：“这和外交无关，这是常规执法！”
