China is making big moves in Antarctica as it attempts to position itself for maximum influence on the world's last unclaimed piece of land, Jane Perlez reports for The New York Times.
据《纽约时报》记者裴若思向该报报道，中国正在南极洲展开重大举动，力图在这片仅存的尚未被人类征服的土地上谋得具有最大影响力的战略位置。

Although Beijing did not establish its first Antarctic research base until 1985, Chinese efforts to expand its influence across the continent have intensified and are now outpacing other nations' plans.
中国直至1985年才在南极洲建立了第一个考察站，尽管如此，近年来，中国加紧了自己向这块跨洋大陆扩张影响力的步骤，其步伐之快已经超出了其他国家的计划。

"China’s operations on the continent — it opened its fourth research station last year, chose a site for a fifth, and is investing in a second icebreaker and new ice-capable planes and helicopters — are already the fastest-growing of the 52 signatories to the Antarctic Treaty," Perlez notes.
记者裴若思称：“中国在去年设置了第四个南极考察站，还为第五个南极考察站选定了位置，现在还在投资建造第二艘破冰船、可以在冰上升降的新型飞机和直升机等考察设备——中国在南极洲的建设步伐在52个《南极条约》签订国中是进展最快的。

The US has six research stations on the continent, while Australia has three. The Antarctic Treaty, which was signed in 1959, commits the signatories to ensuring that the continent will remain open for peaceful scientific research and that the region will not be militarized. A number of separate protocols aim to protect the Antarctic environment from overfishing and mining of what are considered to be large supplies of scarce resources in the region.
美国在南极洲有六个科考站，澳大利亚有三个。各国在1959年签订的《南极条约》规定，签订国有义务保证这块大陆永远向和平的科学考察行动开放许可，同时承诺不对这片区域进行军事控制。另有若干单独协议旨在保护南极洲免于过渡捕捞，以及保护这一区域内储量极大的稀缺资源免于过度开采。

Although China has abided by the constraints of the pacts, observers of Antarctic affairs believe that Beijing is using the guise of research to gain a strategic upper hand in case region opens to commercial drilling in the future.
虽然中国受到上述协定的制约，但南极洲局势的观察研究人员相信，中国正在以科学研究为掩护，谋取战略优势地位，以便为日后这一区域对商业性开发开放许可之时做好准备。

“This is part of a broader pattern of a mercantilist approach all around the world,” Peter Jennings, director of Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told the NYT. “A big driver of Chinese policy is to secure a long-term energy supply and food supply.”
澳大利亚战略决策协会的会长皮特·杰宁斯称，“这是中国在世界范围内实施重商主义政策的宏大计划的题中之义。”“中国如此决策背后的一大驱动力在于保证长期的能源供应和粮食供应。”

The ban on commercial drilling of resources in Antarctica is due to expire in 2048, unless the Protocol on Environmental Protection is re-ratified by consensus. If the accord does expire, Antarctica could become the next major source of hydrocarbons on earth. The region is believed to have an approximate 200 billion barrels of oil, in addition to being the largest single repository of fresh water on the planet.
对南极洲能源商业性开发的禁令将在2048年终止，除非《环境保护协议》经各国协商重新生效。如果这一协定届时真的废止，南极洲或将成为地球上下一个碳氢化合物的主要开采源。据证实，这一区域内石油的存储量约为2000亿筒，同时南极洲还是地球上仅有最大的淡水库。

China's current investments could place it in an unrivaled position to take advantage of any resources on the continent in 2048.
中国目前的投资数额或能使其在2048年获得上无可比拟的优势位置，在这块大陆上占据对所有种类资源的优先权。

"China's exploration of the continent is like playing chess. It's important to have a position in the global game," Guo Peiqing, a law professor at the Ocean University of China told The Guardian. "We don't know when play will happen, but it's necessary to have a foothold."
中国海洋大学法学院教授国培平对《卫报》记者称，“中国对南极洲的征险就像是在下象棋。在这一世界各国参加的棋局中放好棋位是非常重要的。”“我们不知道好戏何时开场，但谋得一个立足点是十分必要的。”