英国对日本侵蚀南沙群岛的应对(1937—1938)

UK’s Response to Japan’s Encroachment on Nansha Islands(1937-1938)

1939年3月日本兼并了中国的南沙群岛,而在此之前,从1937年到1938年,英国实际上已对日本不断侵蚀南沙群岛的举动极为警惕和重视,主要采取了三方面的应对举措:第一,评估了南沙群岛的战略价值和日本侵蚀南沙群岛的战略意图,并提出了应对设想。第二,派勘测船到南沙群岛寻找适合建立空中侦察基地的岛屿,以及时掌握日本的动向。第三,促请法国合作制约日本的侵蚀举动,一是向法国寻求“割让”或“租借”南沙群岛中的一个岛屿,二是敦促法国驱逐南沙群岛上的日本“渔民”。英国应对日本侵蚀南沙群岛,主要是为了维护其在亚太地区的殖民利益及欧亚海上航路的安全,但囿于多种原因,未能达到目的。

Japan annexed China’s Nansha Islands in March 1939,and prior to that,i.e.from 1937 to 1938,the United Kingdom had already been extremely vigilant and attached great importance to Japan’s continuous encroachment on the Islands.The UK adopted the following three countermeasures:1.Assessing the strategic value of the Nansha Islands and Japan’s strategic intention of encroachment,and presenting several countermeasures;2.Having survey ships sent to the Nansha Islands to find an island suitable for establishing an air reconnaissance base,so as to keep track of Japan’s trends;3.Urging France to cooperate in restricting Japan’s encroachment by seeking to“cede”or“lease”one of the islands from France,or by prompting France to expel Japanese“fishermen”from the Islands.The UK’s response to Japan’s encroachment on the Nansha Islands was mainly to safeguard its colonial interests in the Asia-Pacific region and the safety of the Eurasian maritime routes,but it failed to achieve its goal due to a series of factors.