Japan and the Philippines, both facing intensifying territorial disputes with China, are exploring ways to deepen military and security ties.

　　日本和菲律宾正在探讨多种途径，以加强两国的军事和安全合作。两国均与中国有领土争端且不断深化。

　　Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, who will meet Tuesday in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, told reporters last week that he would raise security issues, seeking Mr. Noda's backing in disputes over competing claims between Beijing and neighbors in the South China Sea.

　　菲律宾总统阿基诺三世(Benigno Aquino III)上周对记者说，他将于本周二在东京和日本首相野田佳彦(Yoshihiko Noda)举行会晤时提出安全问题，希望得到野田佳彦在中国与其邻邦就南中国海(中国称“南海”)主权争议方面的支持。

　　A senior official in Mr. Noda's office said in an interview Monday that the two leaders “may explore” more frequent joint coast-guard exercises, and more frequent consultations between naval officials.

　　Agence France-Presse/Getty Image周一，菲律宾总统阿基诺三世在日本石卷市与该市市长会见。日本首相办公室一位高级官员周一接受采访时说，野田佳彦和阿基诺三世可能会探讨如何增加两国联合海岸巡防演习以及两国海军官员的互商。

　　“There is room to deepen our ties in terms of promoting such cooperation,” said the official, adding that there is a “shared view between the Japanese and the Philippine governments regarding the importance of sharing the peaceful navigation and peaceful use of the sea.”

　　这位官员说，在推动这类合作方面，两国有增进往来的空间，还说日本和菲律宾政府在有关共享南中国海和平航行与和平使用的重要性方面有着共识。

　　Separately this week in Tokyo, the Japanese government is hosting a two-day meeting of Southeast Asian defense officials on “common security tasks,” including sessions on “security issues and resource issues” and “efforts to strengthen maritime security in the region.” Japan's defense minister will give the opening remarks Wednesday. Officials from 10 countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand, are expected to attend.

　　另外，日本政府将于本周在东京举办一个为期两天的东南亚防务官员大会，主题是“共同的安全任务”，其中包括“安全问题和资源问题”以及“加强本地区海上安全努力”等分项议题。日本防卫大臣将在周三的大会开幕式上发表讲话。预计将有来自菲律宾、越南、印度尼西亚和泰国等10个国家的官员出席大会。

　　Any new commitments from the Japanese side for the Philippines are expected to be mainly symbolic, in what has been a prolonged process to bolster security ties. Earlier this month, official bilateral “consultations” to enhance maritime cooperation took place in Tokyo -- the first since the two sides agreed to talks in December 2006. There have also been a handful of military drills involving both Japan and the Philippines in recent years.

　　预计日本方面对菲律宾做出的任何新承诺都主要是象征性的，因为加强两国安全合作是个长期过程。本月早些时候，日本与菲律宾在东京正式举行了有关加强两国海上合作的双边磋商，这是自2006年12月两国同意展开对话以来的首次。此外，近年来还举行了几次日本和菲律宾均有参加的联合军演。

　　The South China Sea, which geologists believe lies atop significant oil and gas reserves, has long been the site of low-level skirmishes between rival claimants, but in recent months tensions have worsened. The governments of Vietnam and the Philippines have accused China of hindering oil exploration in their territorial waters -- accusations that Beijing denies.

　　南中国海一直是多个国家均声称拥有主权的地方，这一主权之争所引发的只是小规模冲突，不过，最近几个月紧张局势有所加剧。地质学家认为，南中国海蕴藏着大量石油和天然气。越南和菲律宾政府指责中国阻碍它们在本国领海内进行石油勘探，而北京方面则否认这些指责。

　　Beijing was enraged two years ago when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on a visit to Vietnam, spoke in support of multiparty talks to resolve disputes over the South China Sea. While countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines are working toward creating a more unified stand -- and have successfully enlisted the support of Washington in this -- China prefers to negotiate individually with the other claimants.

　　两年前，美国国务卿克林顿(Hillary Clinton)访问越南时曾表态支持通过多方对话的形式解决南中国海争端，北京方面对此大为光火。虽然越南和菲律宾等国希望达成更为统一的立场并已成功争取到了美国在这方面的支持，但中国更愿意与个别国家进行单独谈判。

　　Japan has been more reluctant than the U.S. to side with Southeast Asian nations in countering China, but people familiar with the situation say that Tokyo may be weighing whether to follow the U.S. by pressing for a series of multilateral talks to settle the patchwork of competing claims in the region.

　　相比美国，日本较不愿意支持东南亚国家对抗中国，但知情人士说，东京方面可能在权衡是否要效法美国，即敦促有关方面举行一系列多边谈判来解决南中国海争端。

　　Security analysts say the Philippines appears to be doing much of the legwork in organizing a joint strategy to counter China's rising influence. After visiting China in early September, President Aquino then flew to the U.S. 'Mr. Aquino is setting the pace,' said Carlyle Thayer, an expert on South China Sea at the Australian Defence Force Academy at the University of New South Wales.

　　研究安全问题的分析师说，在整理出一个共同战略以抗衡中国日益增强的影响力方面，大量的调查工作似乎是由菲律宾在做。阿基诺在今年9月初结束访华后，便造访了美国。新南威尔士大学(University of New South Wales)澳洲国防军事学院(Australian Defence Force Academy)南中国海问题专家塞耶(Carlyle Thayer)说，阿基诺是在定一个基调。

　　The South China Sea contains some of the world's most heavily used shipping highways, and both the U.S. and Japanese economies depend on its remaining open for navigation. Around 90% of Japan's oil supply is shipped from the Middle East through the South China Sea. The sea is claimed in whole by China but key areas are also claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.

　　南中国海拥有世界上最繁忙的航线，美国和日本目前均依赖该海域仍开放的航线进行航行。日本90%的石油供应是从中东取道南中国海运抵日本的。中国说自己拥有南中国海的全部主权，但越南、菲律宾、台湾、马来西亚和文莱等国也称对其中的关键海域拥有主权。

　　Japan has a territorial headache of its own with China, over an archipelago in the East China Sea known in Japan as the Senkaku Islands and in China as Diaoyu. On Sunday, a Chinese research boat spotted in the contentious waters turned around after Japanese Coast Guard officials issued a warning.

　　日本本身也与中国就一个群岛存在领土争端，该群岛位于东中国海(中国称“东海”)，日本称之为尖阁列岛(Senkaku Islands)，中国称之为钓鱼岛。上周日，中国一艘考察船出现在这片争议海域，日本海上保安厅(Japanese Coast Guard)向其发出警告后它掉转了方向。

　　Japan's Coast Guard said 14 Chinese boats, including fishing and research trawlers, have entered Japanese waters near the disputed island chain since a collision between Japanese patrol boats and a Chinese fishing trawler in the same area brought bilateral relations to a low a year ago. That is more than twice the rate of reported incidents as before the clash.

　　日本海上保安厅说，自从一年前日本巡逻船与一艘中国渔船在这片海域相撞造成两国关系降至冰点以来，中国共有14艘船只(包括渔船和考察船)进入该争议岛屿附近的日本海域，这是撞船事件发生前有报告称进入日本海域的中国船只数量的两倍多。

　　More recently, China bristled when Japan's annual defense white paper described Beijing's attitude toward its neighbors as “assertive” in August. China's Defense Ministry expressed 'strong opposition' to the report.

　　前不久，日本在8月发布的年度防卫白皮书中说，北京对其邻国态度的十分强势，中国对此极为不悦。中国国防部对这份白皮书表达了强烈反对。