北京：中国政府发言人周三（10月14日）表示，台湾必须“承担后果”，因为其海巡署在南海一个环礁附近使用水炮对付一艘中国渔船，而台北方面报告称军事活动有所增加。
BEIJING: Taiwan must "bear the consequences" of its Coast Guard using a water cannon against a Chinese fishing boat near an atoll in the South China Sea, a Chinese government spokesperson said on Wednesday (Oct 14), as Taipei reported a rise in military activities.
本月，台湾海巡署的一艘船只使用了水炮，称该船未能响应远离普拉塔斯群岛附近禁水区的警告。
A Taiwan Coast Guard ship this month fired its water cannon, saying the boat failed to respond to warnings to move away from restricted waters near the Pratas Islands.
随后该船发动机故障，被附近的一艘中国船只拖走，台湾海巡署称。
The boat then suffered engine failure and was towed away by a nearby Chinese vessel, Taiwan's Coast Guard said.
北京台湾事务办公室发言人陈斌华表示，中国对普拉塔斯群岛及其周边水域拥有“不可争议的主权”。
Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing, said China has "indisputable sovereignty" over the Pratas and surrounding waters.
“在相关水域作业的大陆船只完全合法正当。我们将坚决维护人民的生命财产安全，”陈斌华说。
"Mainland vessels operating in the relevant waters are entirely legal and justified. We will resolutely safeguard the lives and property of our people," Chen said.
台湾“对大陆船只粗暴处置、以危及人员生命财产安全的方式进行的行为，是恶意挑起两岸对抗，必须承担由此产生的所有后果”，陈斌华说，但未具体说明后果内容。
Taiwan's "treatment of mainland vessels roughly in a dangerous manner that endangers the lives and property of the personnel involved is maliciously stirring up cross-strait confrontation and they must bear all consequences arising from this", Chen said, without elaborating on the consequences.
一位熟悉普拉塔斯群岛情况的台湾官员对路透社表示，海巡署在此次事件中进行了“正常执法”，并以“非常谨慎且比例适当”的方式作出回应。
A Taiwan official with direct knowledge of the situation around the Pratas told Reuters that the Coast Guard carried out "normal law enforcement" during the incident and responded in a "very careful and proportionate way".
普拉塔斯群岛位于台湾南部和香港之间。安全专家认为，由于该群岛距台湾超过400公里，容易受到中国的攻击。
The Pratas Islands lie roughly between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong. Security experts see them as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance - more than 400km - from Taiwan.
中国主张拥有对民主统治的台湾的主权，并在过去五年里加强了在岛屿周边的军事存在。台北政府拒绝中国的主张。
China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has increased its military presence around the island over the past five years. The government in Taipei rejects China's claim.
中国不承认台湾的任何主权主张，包括对普拉塔斯群岛的主张，且中国海警船只的巡逻次数有所增加。
China recognises no claims of sovereignty by Taiwan, including over the Pratas Islands, and Chinese coast guard ships have increased patrols.
“灰色地带”活动 台湾表示，中国正在增加其“灰色地带”战术，这些战术未达到公开军事行动的程度，旨在施压台湾。
"GREY ZONE" ACTIVITIES Taiwan says China is increasing its "grey zone" tactics that stop short of outright military action to pressure Taiwan.
在台北举行的一个论坛上，台湾国家安全委员会副秘书长李文表示，中国正在其“渐进式侵略行为”中使用更广泛的船只，包括民兵船只和科研船只。
Speaking at a forum in Taipei, Lii Wen, deputy secretary-general of Taiwan's National Security Council, said China was using a wider range of ships in its "incremental acts of aggression," including militia boats and research vessels.
“低于冲突阈值的灰色地带活动引发了严重担忧，因其可能干扰交通或损害关键基础设施，”他补充道。
"Grey zone activities under the threshold of conflict have raised serious concerns for their potential to disrupt transportation or damage critical infrastructure," he added.
为强调台湾所称面临的威胁，台湾国防部周三指出，中国在岛屿附近进行了另一次“联合战备警巡”，其中包括13架飞机，如J-16战斗机以及未具体说明数量的海军舰艇。
Underscoring the threat Taiwan says it faces, Taiwan's defence ministry flagged another "joint combat readiness patrol" by China near the island on Wednesday, with 13 aircraft including J-16 fighters and an unspecified number of navy ships.
中国国防部当天早些时候表示，辽宁舰及其伴随舰艇正在西太平洋进行演习，但未提供细节。台湾海岸署负责东沙群岛的日常安保，而非军方。
China's defence ministry said earlier in the day that the aircraft carrier Liaoning and accompanying ships were drilling in the Western Pacific, though it did not give details. Taiwan's Coast Guard is in charge of day-to-day security for Pratas rather than the military.
东沙群岛是一个国家公园。它们有一个机场，但没有永久性平民人口。
The Pratas Islands are a national park. They have an airstrip but no permanent civilian population.