美國國務次官建議中國移去在西沙石油挖掘設施

Recently the NHK News on-line reported the following

石油施設「中国は撤去すべきだ」…米国務次官補

2014年06月10日 23時21分

　ラッセル米国務次官補（東アジア・太平洋担当）は１０日、訪問先のミャンマーでアジア諸国の報道機関と電話会見し、南シナ海のパラセル（西沙）諸島海域に中国が建設した石油掘削施設について、「中国は撤去すべきだ」と述べた。

　米政府高官が施設撤去を求めたのは初めて。

　ラッセル氏は、中国とベトナムの領有権問題について、「特定の立場を取らない」との考えを改めて示しつつ、中国が施設を撤去すれば「外交プロセスや緊張への対処が可能になる」と強調した。

(試譯文)

   On the 10th Russell the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State (in charge of East Asia and the Pacific Ocean) held a telephone interview with the press from Asian nations in Myanmar, the place he was visiting; about the oil drilling structures which China had built in the Paracel (Xisha) islands ocean space in South China Sea, he said that "China should remove them".

   This was the first time that a U.S. Administration’s official asked for the removal of the structures.

   About the territorial right problem between China and Vietnam, while showing again the idea that "a specific position is not been taken", Russell emphasized that when China removed the structures, "to deal with the tension and a diplomatic process would become possible".

I hope the confrontation at the Paracel islands could be settled peacefully.