China is asserting a bold vision of itself as the pre-eminent power in East Asia, warning the U.S. and its allies against criticism of its conduct and expanding moves that raise tensions with less-powerful neighbors.

中国正力推一个大胆的愿景，把自己当做东亚地区的超级力量。对于美国及其盟国批评中国扩大行动、造成与较弱邻国关系紧张，中国则发出了警告。

Its stepped-up rhetoric shows that China sees U.S. power in the region as waning even as Beijing's aggressive moves appear to be bringing other nations together to counter China's growing military and economic sway.

不断加强的言论显示出，中国认为美国在亚洲的力量正在减弱，而与此同时，中国的激进行为看来正使得其他国家联合起来对抗中国日趋上升的军事和经济影响。

The latest sign of China's growing assertiveness came over the weekend, when a top Chinese military official blasted the U.S. for challenging Chinese behavior in the South China Sea.

中国越来越自信的最新迹象是，周末期间中国军方一名高级官员就美国挑战中国在南中国海(South China Sea, 中国称南海)的行为抨击了美国。

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, speaking at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue of top defense leaders, accused China of 'destabilizing, unilateral actions' in the sea, such as the deployment of an oil-drilling platform in disputed waters, among other moves.

美国国防部长哈格尔(Chuck Hagel)在亚洲安全峰会香格里拉对话(Shangri-La Dialogue )上指责中国在南中国海展开破坏稳定的单边行动，比如在争议海域部署钻井平台等。

Lt. Gen. Wang Guanzhong, the Chinese military's deputy chief of general staff, offered an unusually robust riposte on Sunday, saying Mr. Hagel's speech was 'full of hegemony, full of words of threat and intimidation,' and part of 'a provocative challenge against China.'

中国解放军副总参谋长王冠中周日不同寻常地作出了强硬回击，他表示，哈格尔的演讲是充满着霸权主义味道的演讲，是充满着威胁和恐吓语言的演讲，是充满着鼓动、怂恿亚太地区不安定因素起来闹事、挑事言辞的演讲。

Other Chinese officials were even more outspoken.

其他中国官员甚至更加直言不讳。

'The Americans are making very, very important strategic mistakes right now' in their approach to dealing with China, said Major General Zhu Chenghu in an interview at the security conference. 'If you take China as an enemy, China will absolutely become the enemy of the U.S.,' he said.

中国解放军少将朱成虎在安全峰会上接受采访时说，美国目前犯了一个非常非常重要的战略错误。他说，如果美国把中国视为敌人，则中国绝对会成为美国的敌人。

He went on to tell a Chinese-language broadcaster that U.S. power was declining.

他接着对一家中文媒体表示，美国的力量正在衰落。

These latest signs of Chinese assertiveness come only a month after a Chinese state-run oil company moved its drilling rig into waters also claimed by Vietnam, provoking riots against Chinese and other businesses there and triggering criticism from Washington and Tokyo about what they see as Beijing's increasing disregard for international law. China defended its actions as normal activities in its own sovereign territory.

就在中国发出此番最新强势信号的一个月前，一家中国国有石油公司在中越争议海域部署了一个钻井平台，致使越南国内爆发了反对中国和其他外资企业的暴乱，美国和日本因此批评中国越来越漠视国际法。中国则辩称，这是在自己主权海域进行的正常活动。

Chinese ships earlier took control of Scarborough Shoal, a disputed area in the South China Sea also claimed by the Philippines, in 2012. It has begun a construction project in the disputed Spratly Islands, drawing a formal protest from the Philippines, which said the move violates a long-standing pledge not to build on any of the South China Sea's contested islands.

2012年中国舰船在南中国海控制了与菲律宾存在主权争议的斯卡伯勒浅滩(Scarborough Shoal，中国称黄岩岛)。近期，中国在斯普拉特利群岛(Spratly Islands, 中国称南沙群岛)启动了一个建设项目，引发菲律宾提出正式抗议，称中国此举违反了不在南中国海任何争议岛屿进行建造活动的长期承诺。

And China has repeatedly sparred with Japan over rights to disputed East China Sea islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. Tense encounters occurred between Chinese and Japanese military aircraft in the area last month. China late last year established an air-defense zone over the islands that requires aircraft passing through to notify Beijing beforehand.

在东中国海（中国称东海）具有主权争议的尖阁诸岛(Senkaku, 中国称钓鱼岛)，中国屡次与日本发生摩擦。上月中日军机在该海域上方近距离对峙，造成两国关系再度紧张。去年底中国宣布划设东海防空识别区，范围覆盖了这些争议岛屿，要求途经该区域的飞机提前向中国进行通报。

Experts see a pattern that suggests China is feeling increasingly comfortable with the idea that it is Asia's top power, or at least should be treated as an equal of the U.S., and it is engaging in displays to show that the U.S. can do little or nothing to stop it despite America's greater military firepower.

专家认为，中国的这种行为模式暗示它对做亚洲老大的想法越来越感到满意，或者至少是认为自己应该受到与美国同等的对待，中国的做法是要显示，尽管美国有更强的军事实力，但阻止不了中国或者说能做的很少。

'China is very significantly upping the ante here,' said Hugh White, a professor of strategic studies at the Australian National University. 'What we're seeing is a steady and sharp increase in the overtones of the strategic rivalry.'

澳大利亚国立大学(Australian National University)战略研究学教授休•怀特(Hugh White)说，中国显著地加大了赌注。他表示，中国正在稳步、大幅增加战略对抗的暗示。

Another analyst said it was remarkable how much other countries' impressions of China had shifted in the space of just a few years.

另一名分析师称，值得注意的是，短短几年时间其他国家对中国的印象就大为改变。

'You could say now that they're behaving more like a great power -- they're behaving with a sense of entitlement, a sense of exceptionalism -- the way the Americans have done, and the British before them, as if the rules don't apply to them.'

这位分析人士表示，如今可以说中国的所作所为更像是一个大国，他们的行为带有一种权利感，一种优越感，这是美国人拥有的感觉，在美国之前英国人也曾有这样的感觉，就好像规则不适用于他们。

Some analysts said China was overplaying its hand by speaking out so forcefully against the U.S. and its allies.

一些分析人士表示，中国强有力地公然反对美国及其盟友，做得有点过头了。

'China's position is not as strong as it thinks it is,' said Rory Medcalf, director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute in Australia. Not only do China's more-aggressive actions encourage other countries to band together to counter China's rise, they also make it easier for the U.S. to justify its continued military role in the region, he said.

澳大利亚洛伊国际政策研究所(Lowy Institute for International Policy)国际安全项目负责人梅德卡尔夫(Rory Medcalf)说，中国的地位并不像它自己想象的那么强大。他说，中国更加强硬的行为不仅造成其他国家联合起来对抗中国的崛起，还使美国更容易为其在该地区持续的军事参与找到理由。

Some U.S. officials have said privately they hope that China's actions in the South China Sea and its tough language will push America's allies to strengthen ties with one another, and smaller nations to seek stronger ties with the U.S.

一些美国官员私下里说，他们希望中国在南中国海的行为及其强硬的表态将促使美国的盟友加强合作，促使更小的国家寻求与美国建立更强有力的关系。

There are already signs that is happening. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged in a speech on Friday to provide more support to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in maintaining regional security, including supplying Vietnam with maritime patrol vessels following plans to give 10 such craft to the Philippines and completed deliveries of three patrol boats to Indonesia.

已经有迹象显示这样的格局正在形成。日本首相安倍晋三(Shinzo Abe)上周五在演讲中承诺将在维护地区安全方面为东南亚国家联盟(Association of Southeast Asian Nations，简称：东盟)提供更多的支持，包括向越南提供海巡船，之前日本计划向菲律宾提供10艘海巡船，并已向印度尼西亚交付了三艘巡逻船。

A recent agreement between Washington and Manila to expand the presence of U.S. forces in the Philippines -- as well as Vietnam's apparent willingness to work more closely with American forces -- were cited by U.S. defense officials as examples of how the U.S. was working to strengthen partnerships in the region.

美国防务官员以华盛顿与马尼拉最近达成一项扩大驻菲美军规模的协议以及越南显然愿意与美军更密切的合作为例，说明美国正在努力加强该地区的伙伴关系。

But the strategic equation is changing rapidly as China's economic and military power grows. Deepening trade and economic ties between China and its neighbors mean that some Asian countries can't easily afford to challenge China.

不过，随着中国经济和军事实力的增强，这种战略方程式正迅速改变。中国及其邻国之间的贸易和经济联系加深意味着一些亚洲国家无法轻易挑战中国。

And while China's military remains far less powerful than that of the U.S., its investments in enhanced surveillance and missile-weapons systems means it can be more confident about deterring U.S. advances in the region in the event of a conflict.

尽管中国的军事实力仍然远不及美国强大，但中国对强化监控和导弹武器系统的投资意味着，在发生冲突的情况下，中国对阻止美国在亚洲的先头部队可以更有信心。

China's military strategists have long seen their country as being hemmed in militarily by a network of U.S. bases and alliances in Asia that are mostly legacies of the Second World War and the Cold War.

长久以来，中国的军事战略家一直认为，从军事角度来说，中国被美国基地及其亚洲同盟国的网络所包围，这些大多数是第二次世界大战和冷战时期所遗留下来的。

Since the global financial crisis in 2008, many Chinese officers have perceived an opportunity to use the country's newfound economic strength to change that dynamic. Those officers, and many civilian analysts, also calculate that the U.S. is reluctant to become embroiled in another conflict after extricating itself from costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

自2008年全球金融危机以来，很多中国官员感觉到，可以有机会利用中国新得到的经济实力来挑战这一局面。这些官员以及很多民间分析师也认为，在从伊拉克和阿富汗代价高昂的战争中全身而退之后，美国不愿再卷入另一场冲突之中。

That outlook has contributed to a more assertive Chinese approach to territorial issues and regional diplomacy since around 2010, experts say. Some analysts also suggest China is motivated by concern that its window of opportunity may not last if its own economy slows further, and if the next U.S. administration takes a more hawkish stance toward Beijing.

专家们认为，上述观点对于形成2010年前后以来中国在领土问题和地区外交方面更为自信的态度起到了帮助。一些分析师还暗示，中国可能担心，如果国内经济进一步放缓，又如果下一届美国政府对北京采取更为强硬的立场，那么其机会之窗可能稍纵即逝，这种担忧情绪也激发了中国的积极性。

Criticism 'doesn't deter China at all,' at the moment, said Ian Storey, a senior fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. Washington's struggles to influence events in Crimea may further have emboldened China, he said.

新加坡东南亚研究所(Institute of Southeast Asian Studies)高级研究员斯托雷(Ian Storey)表示，目前来说，外界非议完全不能阻挡中国。他说，华盛顿试图影响克里米亚局势的努力失败可能已经使中国更为大胆。

Experts said the tit-for-tat at the Shangri-La Dialogue was unusual in its frankness. It kicked off on Friday night, when Japan's Mr. Abe used his speech to denounce what he called unilateral efforts to alter the strategic status quo in Asia, in remarks clearly aimed at China.

专家们表示，香格里拉对话上出现的针锋相对并不寻常。香格里拉对话于上周五晚间开幕，日本首相安倍晋三公开发表言论谴责单方面改变亚洲战略现状的举措，这一言论明显是针对中国。

Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Pacific region was becoming less stable because of 'coercion and provocation' by China.

美国参谋长联席会议主席邓普西(Martin Dempsey)上将称，由于中国的胁迫和挑衅，太平洋地区正变得越来越不稳定。

Mr. Hagel followed his speech that accused China of undermining the rule of law after it deployed its drilling platform in waters claimed by Hanoi. Vietnamese Defense Minister Gen. Phung Quang Thanh rapped China for allegedly acting outside of international law and said Hanoi could seek international legal recourse against China should peaceful dialogue fail to produce results.

在中国在中越争议海域架设钻井平台后，哈格尔就指责中国破坏了国际法，此次发言延续了他的这一立场。越南国防部长冯光青( Phung Quang Thanh)大将指责中国涉嫌违法国际法，并表示，如果和平对话无法取得成果，越南可能将中国告上国际法庭。

Major General Zhu Chenghu responded said charges of destabilizing actions by China were 'groundless.' Gen. Zhu, who is a professor at China's National Defense University, accused Mr. Hagel of hypocrisy in his assessment of the region's security landscape, suggesting that in his view 'whatever the Chinese do is illegal, and whatever the Americans do is right.'

朱成虎回应称，有关中国方面的行动破坏地区稳定的指控毫无根据。朱成虎指责哈格尔对亚洲安全局势的评估存在虚伪性，他表示，在哈格尔看来，不管中国做什么都是非法的，而美国所做的一切都是正确的。朱成虎是中国国防大学的教授。

The 'Chinese are not so stupid' as to believe that Washington wants to work with China, or that the U.S. government is truly neutral when it comes to territorial disputes between China and American allies, he said.

朱成虎称，中国人没有傻到会相信美国愿意与中国合作，或者相信在中国与美国盟友发生领土冲突时，美国真的会保持中立。

In his speech on Sunday, Lt. Gen. Wang, China's top military delegate at the Dialogue, said Mr. Hagel's speech was designed to 'create trouble and make provocations.'

王冠中周日在此次峰会发表演讲时表示，哈格尔的讲话是一篇充满着鼓动、怂恿亚太地区不安定因素起来闹事、挑事言辞的讲话。

Nevertheless, he said, China is committed to peaceful development and observes proper processes in handling territorial disputes.

不过，王冠中也表示，中国坚持和平发展的道路，在处理领土争端方面也遵守恰当的程序。

'China has never taken the first step to provoke troubles,' the general said in comments that he said were deviations from his prepared remarks. 'China has only been forced to respond to the provocative actions by other parties.'

王冠中在他自己称为脱稿演讲的发言中称，中国从来不会主动挑起争端，都是在别人主动挑事之后才采取应对措施。