[跟著BBC讀英文]中國是否如川普所說「掌控」巴拿馬運河？

Does China 'operate' Panama Canal, as Trump says?

中國是否如特朗普所說「掌控」巴拿馬運河？

During his inaugural address, President Donald Trump doubled down on his assertion that China runs the Panama Canal.

在他的就職演說中，美國總統川普重申了他對中國控制巴拿馬運河的主張。

"China is operating the Panama Canal and we didn't give it to China. We gave it to Panama and we're taking it back," he said.

「中國正在運營巴拿馬運河，而我們並沒有把它交給中國。我們交給了巴拿馬，現在我們要把它奪回來。」他表示。

The 51-mile (82km) Panama Canal cuts across the Central American nation and is the main link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

這條長達51英里（82公里）的巴拿馬運河橫跨中美洲，是連接大西洋和太平洋的主要通道。

Up to 14,000 ships use it each year as a shortcut to a journey which, before the canal was built, would have taken them on a lengthy and costly trip around the tip of South America.

每年多達14,000艘船使用這條運河作為捷徑，避免了在運河建成前繞過南美洲尖端的漫長且昂貴的航行。

What has Trump said about the canal?

川普對巴拿馬運河說了什麼？

The mention of Panama in his inaugural speech is not the first time he has focused on the Central American nation and its transoceanic canal.

在他的就職演說中提到巴拿馬並不是川普首次關注這個中美洲國家及其橫跨海洋的運河。

On Christmas Day, Trump posted on social media that the "wonderful soldiers of China" were "lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal" - a claim which was swiftly denied by officials in Panama City and Beijing.

聖誕節當天，川普曾在社群媒體上發文，聲稱中國的「優秀士兵」正在「充滿愛心但非法地運營巴拿馬運河」。此說法隨即被巴拿馬城和北京的官員駁斥。

At the time, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino described the claim as "nonsense", stressing that there was "absolutely no Chinese interference" in the canal.

當時，巴拿馬總統何塞·勞爾·穆利諾（José Raúl Mulino）形容這一說法是「胡說八道」，並強調「絕對沒有中國干預」運河的運作。

Trump has also threatened to take the canal back by force, citing "exorbitant" fees being allegedly charged for US vessels to pass through it - another claim rejected by Panamanian authorities.

川普還威脅要以武力奪回巴拿馬運河，理由是據稱對美國船隻通行徵收了「過高的」費用。然而，這一說法同樣遭到巴拿馬當局的否認。

Following Trump's inauguration address, President Mulino again stressed that there was "no presence of any nation in the world that interferes with our administration" of the Panama Canal.

在川普發表就職演說後，總統穆利諾再次強調：「沒有任何國家干涉我們對巴拿馬運河的管理。」

The strategic waterway, which handles about 5% of global maritime trade volume, is operated by the Panama Canal Authority, an agency of the Panamanian government, not Chinese soldiers.

這條戰略性水道處理了全球約5%的海運貿易量，由巴拿馬運河管理局（Panama Canal Authority）負責運營，該機構隸屬於巴拿馬政府，而非中國士兵。

However, Mr Trump's inaccurate claim reflects the concerns of some US officials over China's significant investments in the canal and its surrounding infrastructure.

然而，川普這一不準確的說法反映了一些美國官員對中國在巴拿馬運河及周邊基礎設施大量投資的擔憂。

What is the history of Panama Canal?

巴拿馬運河的歷史

Historically, the US played a pivotal role in the construction and administration of the passage, which links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

從歷史上看，美國在建設和管理這條連接大西洋與太平洋的水道中扮演了關鍵角色。

After a failed attempt by the French to build it, the US secured the rights to undertake the project. The canal's construction was completed in 1914.

在法國試圖建造運河失敗後，美國成功取得建設權，並於1914年完成巴拿馬運河的建設。

It remained under US control until 1977, when then President Jimmy Carter signed a treaty to gradually hand it over to Panama, which Trump has referred to as "foolish".

運河一直由美國控制，直到1977年，當時的美國總統吉米·卡特（Jimmy Carter）簽署條約，逐步將運河交還給巴拿馬。這一決定被川普批評為「愚蠢的」。

Since 1999, the Panama Canal Authority has held exclusive control over the operations of the waterway.

自1999年以來，巴拿馬運河管理局（Panama Canal Authority）獨家負責這條水道的運營。

The treaties signed by both the US and Panama stipulated that it shall remain permanently neutral, but the US reserves the right to defend any threat to the canal's neutrality using military force under this deal.

根據美國與巴拿馬簽署的條約，巴拿馬運河必須保持永久中立。然而，根據條約規定，美國保留在運河中立性受到威脅時採取軍事行動進行防禦的權利。

What is China's role in the operations of the canal?

中國在巴拿馬運河運營中的角色

There is no public evidence to suggest that the Chinese government exercises control over the canal, or its military. However, Chinese companies have a significant presence there.

目前沒有公開證據顯示中國政府控制巴拿馬運河或涉及其軍事運營。然而，中國企業在該地區的存在相當顯著。

From October 2023 to September 2024, China accounted for 21.4% of the cargo volume transiting the Panama Canal, making it the second-largest user after the US.

在2023年10月至2024年9月期間，中國占巴拿馬運河通行貨運量的21.4%，是僅次於美國的第二大使用國。

In recent years, China has also invested heavily in ports and terminals near the canal.

近年來，中國也在運河附近的港口和碼頭投入了大量資金，顯示其對該地區戰略性基礎設施的重視。

Two of the five ports adjacent to the canal, Balboa and Cristóbal, which sit on the Pacific and Atlantic sides respectively, have been operated by a subsidiary of Hutchison Port Holdings since 1997.

​​巴拿馬運河兩側的五大港口中，有兩個港口——位於太平洋側的巴爾博亞（Balboa）和位於大西洋側的克里斯托瓦（Cristóbal）——自1997年以來由和記港口控股（Hutchison Port Holdings）的子公司運營。

The company is a subsidiary of the publicly listed CK Hutchison Holdings, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate founded by Hong Kong businessman Li Ka-shing.

It has port operations in 24 countries, including the UK.

和記港口控股是香港企業長江和記實業（CK Hutchison Holdings）的子公司，該集團由香港商人李嘉誠創立，並在全球24個國家（包括英國）運營港口。

Although it is not state-owned by China, says Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, there have been concerns in Washington over how much control Beijing would be able to exert over the company.

A wealth of potentially useful strategic information on ships passing through the waterway flows through these ports.

儘管這家公司並非中國國有企業，但根據戰略與國際研究中心（CSIS）美洲計劃主任瑞安·伯格（Ryan Berg）的說法，華盛頓對北京可能對這家公司施加控制的能力存有疑慮。這些港口處理著大量有潛在戰略價值的航運信息，特別是關於通過巴拿馬運河的貨物。

"There is an increasing geopolitical tension of economic nature between the US and China," Mr Berg says. "That kind of information regarding cargo would be very useful in the event of a supply chain war."

伯格表示：「當前美中之間的經濟地緣政治緊張局勢日益加劇。在供應鏈戰爭中，有關貨物的信息將非常有用。」

CK Hutchison did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.

長江和記實業未回應BBC的置評請求。

The bids to operate those ports faced almost no competition, according to Andrew Thomas, a professor at the University of Akron who has written a book on the canal. "The US at the time didn't really care about these ports and Hutchison faced no objection," he says.

根據阿克倫大學教授安德魯·托馬斯（Andrew Thomas）的說法，這些港口的經營權招標幾乎沒有競爭。「當時美國對這些港口並不太在意，因此和記幾乎沒有遇到任何阻力。」托馬斯教授曾撰寫有關巴拿馬運河的專著。

Chinese companies, both private and state-owned, have also strengthened their presence in Panama through billions of dollars in investments, including a cruise terminal and a bridge to be built over the canal.

此外，中國的私營和國有企業通過數十億美元的投資進一步加強了在巴拿馬的存在，包括建設郵輪碼頭以及跨運河大橋。

This "package of Chinese activities", as described by Mr Thomas, might have prompted Trump's assertion that the canal is "owned" by China, but operation of those ports does not equate to ownership, he stresses.

托馬斯將這些活動形容為中國的一系列「活動包」，這可能引發了川普聲稱運河「由中國掌控」的說法。但他強調，港口的運營並不等於擁有運河。

Beijing has repeatedly said that China's ties with Latin America are characterised by "equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and benefits for the people".

中國政府則一再表示，中國與拉丁美洲的關係以「平等、互利、創新、開放及造福人民」為特徵。

What are China's broader interests in Panama?

中國在巴拿馬的更廣泛利益

Panama's strategic location means China has been vying to increase its influence in the country for years and expand its footprint on a continent that has traditionally been considered the "backyard" of the US.

由於巴拿馬的戰略位置，中國多年來一直試圖加強在該國的影響力，並在傳統上被視為美國「後院」的拉丁美洲擴大其足跡。

In 2017, Panama broke diplomatic ties with Taiwan and established formal relations with China – a huge win for Chinese diplomacy.

2017年，巴拿馬與台灣斷交並與中國建立正式外交關係，這被視為中國外交的一大勝利。

Months later, Panama became the first Latin American country to join China's signature Belt and Road Initiative, a trillion-dollar global infrastructure and investment initiative.

幾個月後，巴拿馬成為第一個加入中國「一帶一路」倡議的拉丁美洲國家。「一帶一路」是中國一項規模達數萬億美元的全球基礎設施與投資計劃。

The Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras followed suit and also severed ties with Taipei in favour of Beijing.

此後，多明尼加、薩爾瓦多、尼加拉瓜和宏都拉斯也效仿，與台北斷交並轉而支持北京。

China has slowly expanded its soft power by opening its first Confucius Institute in the country and providing a grant to build a railway. Chinese companies have also sponsored "media training" for Panamanian journalists.

中國還逐步擴大其「軟實力」，包括在巴拿馬開設第一所孔子學院，並提供資金建設鐵路。除此之外，中國企業還贊助巴拿馬記者的「媒體培訓」，以進一步加深影響力。

這些舉措顯示中國在巴拿馬的多方面布局，涵蓋外交、經濟、文化和媒體等領域，以逐步鞏固其在拉丁美洲的影響力。