艦隊外洋訓練 中国軍ヘリの危険な異常接近

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Apr. 25, 2010)

Chinese Navy choppers' dangerous actions
艦隊外洋訓練　中国軍ヘリの危険な異常接近（4月24日付・読売社説）

Chinese People's Liberation Army helicopters launched from navy ships during recent training maneuvers have repeatedly taken the unusual action of approaching Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers that were deployed for surveillance of Chinese vessels on the high seas near Japan's territorial waters.
　訓練中の中国海軍の艦載ヘリコプターが、監視中の海上自衛隊の艦船に異常接近する異例の行動を繰り返した。

The Japanese government lodged a diplomatic protest with China because such behavior is quite dangerous even if the actions did take place on the high seas. We believe the government's protest was a natural action.
　日本政府が、「公海上とはいえ、極めて危険な事態だ」として外交ルートを通じて抗議したのは当然のことだ。

On April 8, during a drill in the East China Sea, a Chinese Navy helicopter approached at a distance of about 90 meters an MSDF destroyer that was deployed for surveillance of the Chinese vessels.
　今月８日には、東シナ海で訓練中の艦載ヘリが、監視活動中の海自の護衛艦に約９０メートルまで接近した。

On April 10, a Chinese Navy fleet of 10 vessels, including two submarines, were moving southward on the high seas between Okinawa Island and Miyakojima island of Okinawa Prefecture.
　今月１０日、潜水艦２隻を含む計１０隻の中国軍艦隊が沖縄本島と宮古島の間の公海を南下した。

A similar incident happened again Wednesday. Another Chinese Navy helicopter circled an MSDF destroyer twice at a distance of 90 meters and an altitude of about 50 meters on the Pacific Ocean about 500 kilometers south of Okinawa Prefecture's main island.
　これ１度だけではない。２１日にも、やはり艦載ヘリが、沖縄本島の南方約５００キロの太平洋上で、海自艦の上空を旋回し、高さ約５０メートルの距離まで近づいたという。

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'Necessary defense action'

Such a close-range flight could have caused a serious accident.
　これだけの接近飛行は、偶発的な事故を起こしかねない。

The Chinese government reacted to the Japanese protest by saying, "It was a necessary defense measure in response to Japanese surveillance activities."
　中国政府は、日本の抗議に対し「日本の監視活動に対する必要な防衛措置」と反論している。

However, we think that with such heavy-handed actions China intends to demonstrate at home and abroad the expansion of its naval power in recent years. Members of the Chinese media are reportedly aboard Chinese Navy vessels during ocean training.
　だが、今回の示威的な行動は、近年の中国海軍の拡張ぶりを内外に誇示する狙いがあるのではないか。外洋訓練には中国メディアの関係者も同行しているという。

In the midst of the Chinese maneuvers, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama met with Chinese President Hu Jintao on April 13 on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington. Hu told Hatoyama that China wants to turn the East China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation.
　訓練期間中の１３日、ワシントンで開かれた日中首脳会談で、中国の胡錦濤国家主席は、「東シナ海を平和友好協力の海にしていきたい」と語った。

The provocative actions by the Chinese helicopters run counter to the idea of a "sea of peace." Moreover, the meeting between the two leaders did not see any progress on the issue of when to start negotiations for concluding a treaty over joint development of gas fields in the East China Sea.
　艦載ヘリの行動は「平和の海」に逆行するものだ。首脳会談では、肝心の、東シナ海のガス田共同開発をめぐる条約交渉開始問題は全く進展しなかった。

The Japanese government's response was too slow. The Foreign Ministry asked the Chinese side to confirm and explain the first incident on April 12. And it was not until the same day that the Foreign Ministry reported the incident to Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada. The ministry lodged the protest on Wednesday.
　それにしても、日本政府の対応は緩慢に過ぎる。外務省が中国側に事実確認と説明を求めたのは１２日で、その日ようやく岡田外相に報告されている。外務省が中国側に抗議をしたのは２１日だ。

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Govt may be too optimistic

The Chinese Navy has been going beyond what it views as the "First Island Chain" of its strategic defense lines, which ranges from the Nansei Islands, which cover Okinawa Prefecture, to Taiwan and the Philippines, and expanded its area of activities to a "Second Island Chain" that connects the Ogasawara Islands and Guam.
This is the commonly held view of those belonging to the diplomatic and defense authorities.
　中国海軍が、沖縄などの南西諸島と台湾、フィリピンを結ぶ「第１列島線」を越えて、小笠原諸島とグアムを結ぶ「第２列島線」にまで活動領域を広げていることは、外交・防衛当局者なら百も承知のはずだろう。

Concerning the activities of the Chinese fleet, some government officials see them as preparations for a strategy to prevent deployment of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers in case of a crisis in the Taiwan Strait.
　中国艦隊の動きについて、政府内には、台湾海峡有事の際に米空母などの展開を阻む戦略の一環との見方もある。

In its recent Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), the United States expresses serious worries over China's rapid military buildup. We suspect the Hatoyama administration's view of the status quo is too optimistic.
　米国の４年ごとの国防計画見直し（ＱＤＲ）は、中国の急速な軍拡に深刻な懸念を示している。鳩山政権の認識は甘すぎないか。

From now on the government must pay utmost attention to increased actions by the Chinese Navy to secure interests in the sea. The government must study what actions it should take from medium- and long-term points of view and see to it that the results of such studies are reflected in this year's revision of the current National Defense Program Guidelines.
　今後、海洋権益確保の動きを強める中国海軍の動向には、格段の注意が要る。政府は、中長期的にどんな対策をとるかを検討し、今年の防衛大綱の改定作業に反映させることが必要だ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun,April 24, 2010)
（2010年4月24日01時34分 読売新聞）