张志军副部长就钓鱼岛问题举行中外媒体吹风会答问实录（中英对照）

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Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun Gave Briefing to Chinese and Foreign Journalists on the Diaoyu Dao Issue

　　2012年10月26日，外交部副部长张志军就钓鱼岛问题举行中外媒体吹风会。答问实录如下： 

On 26 October 2012, Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun gave a briefing to Chinese and foreign journalists on the Diaoyu Dao issue. The following is a transcript of the briefing:

　　张志军：最近一段时间，各位媒体朋友们都在关注钓鱼岛问题，也有很多媒体提出采访我，我非常高兴有机会与记者朋友们就钓鱼岛问题进行交流。

Zhang Zhijun: In the recent period, many friends from the media have been following the Diaoyu Dao issue and asked to interview me. I am very happy to set aside some time to have this discussion with you on the Diaoyu Dao issue.

　　首先，我想简要地向大家介绍一下钓鱼岛问题的情况。简要地说，钓鱼岛原本不是问题，也不存在什么主权争议，是由于1895年日本非法窃取和霸占钓鱼岛,才出现了问题,形成了争议。无论从历史、法理等角度看，钓鱼岛都是中国的固有领土。从历史上看，中国人最早发现了钓鱼岛并命名，从明朝到近代的五百年间中国一直对钓鱼岛行使着主权。从法理上看，《开罗宣言》和《波茨坦公告》等国际法律文件明确规定，钓鱼岛等岛屿应随台湾一起归还中国，因为在《开罗宣言》和《波茨坦公告》中有明确规定，日本必须将所窃取于中国的领土归还中国，所以从法理角度上说钓鱼岛已经回归中国。1971年美国却将被非法托管的钓鱼岛所谓的“施政权”私相授受给日本，中国政府发表严正声明指出此举“非法”，“这丝毫不能改变中华人民共和国对钓鱼岛等岛屿的领土主权。”

At the outset, let me briefly talk about the history of the issue. Simply put, Diaoyu Dao shouldn’t have been an issue and there shouldn’t be a dispute over its ownership. It became an issue and turned into a dispute only because of the illegal action taken by Japan back in 1895 to seize and occupy Diaoyu Dao. Diaoyu Dao has been China’s inherent territory historically and legally. If you look at the history, it was the Chinese people who first discovered and named the Diaoyu Dao. In the five hundred years beginning with the Ming Dynasty to the modern times, China has exercised sovereignty over Diaoyu Dao. And if you look at international law, there are clear provisions in international legal documents such as the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation that the Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands be returned to China along with Taiwan. It was made very clear in the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation that Japan should restore to China all the territories it has stolen from China. Therefore from the legal perspective, Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands, together with Taiwan, should have been returned to China. In 1971 the United States, through a backroom deal, transferred to Japan the administrative rights over Diaoyu Dao which had been placed under illegal US trusteeship. At that time, the Chinese government issued a solemn statement pointing out that this action was illegal and could not change, not even in the slightest way, the People’s Republic of China’s territorial sovereignty over Diaoyu Dao and affiliated islands.

　　1972年，中日恢复邦交时，双方就将“钓鱼岛问题放一放，留待以后解决”达成谅解和共识。这次日本政府不顾中方坚决反对，宣布“购买”钓鱼岛，严重侵犯中国的领土主权，给中日关系带来了邦交正常化40年来最严重的冲击，国际社会对此广泛关注。

In 1972, when China and Japan restored diplomatic relations, the two sides reached understanding and consensus on “putting aside the issue of Diaoyu Dao to be resolved later”. Recently, the Japanese government, in defiance of the firm opposition of China, announced the so-called “purchase” of Diaoyu Dao. This move grossly infringed upon China’s territorial sovereignty, caused the most severe disruption to China-Japan relations since normalization of relations 40 years ago and triggered widespread concern of the international community.

　　问：中方如何看待日本政府“购岛”？中方对日本政府“购岛”的反应是否过激？

Q: How does China view the Japanese government’s “purchase” of Diaoyu Dao? Has China reacted somewhat excessively to the move?

　　答：刚才我已经从多个角度对中国对钓鱼岛拥有主权做了说明。日本没有权利拿中国的领土来进行任何形式的买卖，钓鱼岛的寸土滴水、一草一木都不容交易，不管日方以什么形式“购岛”，都是对中国领土主权的严重侵犯。

A: I have, from multiple angles, explained why China has sovereignty over Diaoyu Dao. Japan has no right to engage in any form of buying or selling of Chinese territory. No bit of land, water and vegetation on Diaoyu Dao can be traded away. No matter how Japan implemented the “purchase” of the islands, it was always a serious infringement of China’s territorial sovereignty.

　　这次“购岛”闹剧是日本右翼势力蓄意挑起的，日本政府对这股势力侵犯中国领土主权、破坏中日关系的行径不仅不加以制止，反而亲自出面“购岛”。右翼想做的事情、想要达到的目标，最终由日本政府一手实现了。日方说日本政府“购岛”比右翼“购岛”好，让中国在其中作出选择，就好比让中方在两剂毒药中选择一剂，中方绝不接受这种荒谬逻辑，绝不接受任何损害中国领土主权的选项。中方的唯一选项就是采取坚决措施捍卫自己的领土主权。

The recent farce of “island purchase” was deliberately instigated by right-wing forces in Japan. It was intended to infringe upon China’s territorial sovereignty and undermine China-Japan relations. Instead of stopping it, the Japanese government stepped forward to “purchase” the islands. What the right-wing forces had wanted to do and achieve was eventually taken care of by the Japanese government. According to the Japanese side, it is better for the government to “purchase” the islands than the right-wing forces. And Japan wants China to make a choice. This is like asking China to choose between two kinds of poison. China will never accept this absurd logic and will never accept any option that undermines China’s territorial sovereignty. The only option available to China is to take strong measures to defend its territorial sovereignty.

　　对于日方非法“购岛”计划，中方从一开始就表明了坚决反对的立场。在APEC领导人非正式会议期间，胡锦涛主席与野田首相交谈时严肃指出，近来中日关系因钓鱼岛问题面临严峻局面，中方在钓鱼岛问题上的立场是一贯的、明确的。日方采取任何方式“购岛”都是非法的、无效的，中方坚决反对。中国政府在维护领土主权问题上立场坚定不移，日方必须充分认识事态的严重性，不要作出任何错误的决定。日方应该知道这番话的分量。

Anticipating Japan’s move to “purchase” the islands, China, from the outset, clearly expressed our attitude of firm opposition. In a conversation with Prime Minister Noda during the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, President Hu Jintao pointed out solemnly that China-Japan relations have come under great strain recently due to the Diaoyu Dao issue. China’s position on the issue has been consistent and clear-cut. Any form of “island purchase” by Japan would be illegal and invalid, and would be firmly opposed by China. The Chinese government has an unshakable position on upholding territorial sovereignty. Japan must fully realize the severity of the situation and desist from making the wrong decision. The Japanese side should have appreciated how weighty these comments were.

　　我本人也多次向日本外务省负责人提出警告，指出如果日方执意“购岛”，中国民众的激愤势必向火山一样爆发出来。我还特别地多次地指出，日方“购岛”对中日关系的杀伤力将不亚于“原子弹”。所以当日方提出“购岛”计划后，即便在日本国内也有许多政治家和有识之士看到了这个问题的严重性。我记得今年6月日本驻华大使丹羽在接受英国《金融时报》采访时表示，“购岛”问题将对中日关系带来重大危机。我丝毫不怀疑，丹羽作为日本的驻华大使，是日本国家利益的忠实代表者，但是我认为他只不过说了一句实话，结果却遭到了日本国内的种种指责。

I myself have, on multiple occasions, given warning to leading officials of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, pointing out that if Japan should implement the “island purchase”, then the indignation of the Chinese people will erupt like a volcano. I especially pointed out, more than once, that should Japan “purchase” the islands, it would do no less damage to China-Japan relations than an atomic bomb. After Japan floated the idea of “island purchase”, some political leaders and thoughtful individuals in Japan saw how severe the situation might be. I remember in June, the then Japanese ambassador to China, Mr. Niwa, in an interview with the Financial Times, said that the “island purchase” would create a major crisis in China-Japan relations. I do not doubt for a second that as Japanese ambassador to China, Mr. Niwa was a faithful representative of Japan’s national interests. I believe he was merely telling the truth. But it turned out that he came under reproach in Japan for doing this.

　　后来局势怎么发展，大家都知道。日本政府对中方的警告置若罔闻，一意孤行，迈出了侵犯中国领土主权的严重升级步骤，激起了中国两岸四地和海内外十几亿中华儿女的强烈愤慨。中国政府采取一系列坚决有力反制措施捍卫国家领土主权，这是完全正当的，是任何一个负责任政府都必须做的。日本国内有人说，中方做出的反应是不是“过激”了，如果说中方采取的措施超出了日本的预料的话，只能说明日方错判了形势，低估了中国政府和人民捍卫国家领土主权的意志和决心。

You are all familiar with how the situation then transpired. The government of Japan paid no attention to the warnings from the Chinese side. It acted unscrupulously and took the seriously escalating step of violating China’s territorial sovereignty. The move aroused the strong indignation of the over one billion sons and daughters of the Chinese nation on the mainland, in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan as well as the overseas Chinese communities. In response to the Japanese move, the Chinese government adopted a series of strong and resolute countermeasures to uphold China’s territorial sovereignty. We are fully justified in taking these actions. It is what every responsible government would do. There are some people in Japan who are saying that China has overreacted to the move. I would say this: if the actions taken by China exceeded Japan’s expectation, it only shows that Japan has from the outset seriously misjudged the situation and underestimated the will and determination of the Chinese government and people to uphold the territorial sovereignty of our country.