More than four decades after a sweeping British military withdrawal from bases “east of Suez”, the UK is scaling up its defence engagement in the Gulf and Asia in what analysts regard as a recognition of the region’s growing global importance.

 

英国正在巴林重设一个海军支援设施，在阿曼拥有一支常驻军队，并在迪拜和新加坡设立新的国防参谋中心。

 

Britain is reopening a naval support facility in Bahrain, creating a permanent army presence in Oman and establishing new defence staff centres in Dubai and Singapore.

 

英国皇家空军(RAF)的台风战斗机(Typhoon)今年跟日本军用飞机共同训练；这是日本空军在战后首次与美国以外的国家举行演练。

 

RAF Typhoon jets trained with Japanese military aircraft this year; the first time Japan’s postwar air force has hosted an exercise with a nation other than the US.

 

一位资深外交官最近说，当英国的两艘新航母在几年后具备作战能力时，它们将“在太平洋游弋”，以确保海上航道畅通。

 

And when Britain’s two new aircraft carriers are operational in a few years’ time, they will be “seen in the Pacific”, in an effort to keep sea lanes open, a senior diplomat said recently.

 

英国国际战略研究所亚洲分所(IISS-Asia)执行主任蒂姆?赫胥黎(Tim Huxley)表示，英国对亚洲防务介入加深反映出，该国执政的保守党希望通过全球视野而非欧洲视野来思考本国的防务角色。

 

This growing engagement reflects a desire in Britain’s governing Conservative party to think of the UK’s defence role in global rather than in European terms, according to Tim Huxley, executive director of IISS-Asia, the Singapore-based regional arm of the security thinktank.

 

英国在20世纪70年代从东南亚撤走——令时任新加坡总理李光耀(Lee Kuan Yew)感到沮丧，因为当时这个城市国家自己的武装力量正处于起步阶段——标志着该地区转向发展本国的防御力量。

 

Britain’s withdrawal from Southeast Asia in the 1970s, dismaying Singapore’s then prime minister Lee Kuan Yew at a time when the city-state’s own armed forces were embryonic, marked a shift in the region towards homegrown defences.

 

如今，新加坡拥有一只在东南亚国家中装备最精良的军队。当时，为了应对英国撤退，新加坡把国防开支增加了两倍，并与英国、马来西亚、澳大利亚和新西兰订立了一份安全联盟——亚洲五国联防(Five Power Defence Arrangements)。

 

Singapore, which now has the best-equipped military in Southeast Asia, tripled its defence spending in response to Britain’s exit and signed up to the Five Powers Defence Arrangements, a security tie-up with the UK, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand.

 

英国在近几个月加大了军事介入力度，反映出该国在外交方面对该地区的重视；英国首相特里萨?梅(Theresa May)上任后第一次率领贸易代表团出访的对象国是印度。12月访问巴林时，梅承诺要加深与海湾国家之间的安全合作。

 

The UK’s revitalised military engagement in recent months reflects London’s diplomatic emphasis on the region; UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s first trade mission as premier was to India. On a visit to Bahrain in December, Mrs May pledged to deepen security co-operation with Gulf countries.

 

英国这么做并非公然针对中国。英国政府一直在努力取悦中国，以争取中国投资。分析师说，相反，英国寻求在世界舞台上展示其持久的军事能力。

 

The British build-up is not overtly directed at China, a power that the UK government has worked hard to court in an effort to win Chinese investment. Instead, analysts say, Britain has sought to demonstrate its enduring military capacity on a world stage.

 

然而，英国的口头说法和军事能力之间存在着差距，财政制约导致其军事能力越来越弱。英国在亚洲唯一幸存的驻军——驻文莱部队——的资金来源不是英国纳税人，而是该国苏丹。

 

There is a gap, however, between Britain’s rhetoric and a military capability that has been diminished by financial constraints. The UK’s sole surviving army garrison in Asia — Brunei — is funded not by the British taxpayer but by that country’s Sultan.

 

英国在伊拉克和阿富汗作战行动的缺陷，包括缺乏规划和缺少关键装备，使人对其行动效力产生怀疑。英国在阿富汗保留了一支小型部队，用于履行非战斗职能。

 

The shortcomings of Britain’s campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan — including a lack of planning and shortages of vital equipment — have raised doubts about its effectiveness. The UK retains a small contingent of troops in Afghanistan, deployed in non-combat roles.

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