FM calls on Singapore to respect China’s sea stance
中方呼吁新加坡尊重中國南海立場

China’s foreign ministry called on Singapore to respect China’s stance on the South China Sea issue on Tuesday, a further indication that China is upset about Singapore’s enthusiasm for an increasing US presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
周二，中國外交部呼吁新加坡尊重中國在南海問題上的立場，這進一步顯示出：新加坡對美國在亞太地區(qū)日益增長的存在感所表現(xiàn)出的熱情讓中國很失望。

Foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing that China hopes countries will remain fair and objective over the South China Sea disputes.
外交部發(fā)言人耿爽告訴一家每周新聞簡訊，中方希望在南海爭議上，各國家間可以保持公正和客觀。

Without mentioning the name, Geng admitted having noticed a recent Chinese newspaper report saying that Singapore had insisted on rendering the issue into the final document of the 17th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit, which was held on September 17 and 18 at Venezuela’s Margarita Island. More than 100 countries attended the summit, including Vietnam and Laos.
耿承認，中方已經(jīng)注意到最近一份沒有提及名稱的中國新聞報道，該報道稱，新加坡一直堅持將南海爭議遞交為第十七個不結(jié)盟運動（南）峰會最終文件，該峰會將于九月十七日和十八日在委內(nèi)瑞拉的瑪格麗塔島舉行。包括越南和老撾在內(nèi)的一百多個國家會參加本次峰會。

The facts are clear. Individual countries insisted on highlighting the South China Sea-related contents in the outcome document, but failed to do so, because they did not secure the approval of the majority of NAM members and these contents did not represent the consensus of parties related to the South China Sea issue, Geng said.
耿說：“事實很明顯。個別國家堅持強調(diào)南海相關(guān)內(nèi)容的成果文件，但未能如愿，因為他們不能保證大部分不結(jié)盟運動國家的同意，文件內(nèi)容不能代表中國南海問題相關(guān)政黨的一致意見。”

The NAM Summit was not an appropriate forum to discuss the South China Sea issue and the final document of the summit should be based on the long-held consensus principle to reflect all the member countries’ common views, Geng said. He noted that the situation in the South China Sea is moving in a positive direction under joint efforts from China and ASEAN members.
耿說，在第十七個不結(jié)盟運動（南）峰會上討論中國南海問題并不合適，峰會的最終文件應該基于長期堅持的協(xié)商一致原則，要反映所有成員國的共識。他強調(diào)道，在中國和東盟成員的聯(lián)合努力下，中國南海的情況正向著積極的方向發(fā)展。

Analysts said Singapore’s action at the NAM summit would hurt bilateral relations.
分析人士稱，新加坡在峰會上的行為會傷害兩國雙邊關(guān)系。

Singapore has advocated its support for the South China Sea arbitration award many times inside the ASEAN grouping. It has been getting closer to the US after former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s death, seeking to maximize its own interests in the Asia-Pacific region by using the US to contain China’s regional influence, Zhuang Guotu, head of the Center of Southeast Asian Studies at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
周二，廈門大學東南亞研究中心主任莊國圖告訴《環(huán)球時報》，“新加坡在東盟內(nèi)部間多次宣稱支持中國南海仲裁。自從前任首相李光耀去世以后，新加坡就一直在親近美國，企圖利用美國控制中國的區(qū)域影響力，最大化自己在亞太地區(qū)的利益?！?/div>

Sino-Singaporean relations have been dampened by Singapore’s improper actions at the NAM Summit, though future relations are still bright, given the strengthening economic and maritime cooperation in the region, Zhuang said.
莊說，盡管因為區(qū)域間經(jīng)濟和海洋合作加強，雙方未來關(guān)系仍然光明，但是新加坡在第十七屆不結(jié)盟運動峰會上的不恰當行為，損害了中新關(guān)系。