朝鲜利用中美分歧推进核计划

North Korea’s latest nuclear test has been met with the usual chorus of outrage.

朝鲜最新一次核试验遭遇了一如既往的一致愤怒。

It showed maniacal recklessness, said Park Geun-hye, South Korea’s president. Absolutely unacceptable was the reaction of Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister. China strongly opposed Friday’s test, according to an official statement.

韩国总统朴槿惠(Park Geun-hye)称，这显示出了朝鲜疯狂的鲁莽；日本首相安倍晋三(Shinzo Abe)的回应是这绝对不可接受；中国官方发布声明，对上周五的核试验表示坚决反对。

There is strong emotion behind such condemnations.

在如此谴责的背后是强烈的不满情绪。

But they are unlikely to cut much ice with Kim Jong Un, the North Korean dictator whose militarised regime sees the US and South Korea as enemies and releases mocked-up videos of Seoul being hit by Pyongyang’s rocket attacks.

但谴责对朝鲜独裁者金正恩(Kim Jong Un)来说不太可能产生太大作用，金正恩的军事化政权将美国和韩国视为敌人，还发布了模拟首尔遭朝鲜火箭攻击的视频。

Mr Kim’s fulminations have previously described Americans as imperialist aggressors and cannibals who seek pleasure in slaughter.

金正恩之前曾在谴责中把美国人形容为帝国主义侵略者和在屠杀中寻求快感的食人族。

Vehement rhetoric, therefore, should not obscure the fundamental fracture within which Pyongyang’s menace has incubated.

因此，激烈的言辞不应该掩盖一项根本性的破裂，正是这种破裂孕育了朝鲜的威胁。

Decades of rivalry and mistrust between China and the US, the only two countries with the muscle to shape North Korea’s destiny, have thwarted any concerted attempt to impose meaningful pressure on Pyongyang to drop its nuclear programme.

仅有的有实力影响朝鲜命运的两国——中国和美国之间长达数十年的竞争和互不信任，挫败了一切向平壤施加有效压力迫使其放弃核计划的协调努力。

Various attempts by Washington and Beijing to paper over their own fractious relations and work together to stall the nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula have proved ineffectual.

华盛顿和北京方面为掩饰其变化无常的关系和共同阻止朝鲜半岛核进程而展开的各种尝试均告失败。

The six rounds of the six-party talks between 2003 and 2009 were, in particular, a delusion that succeeded only in handing Pyongyang ample time to upgrade its technology while talking about peace.

特别是，2003年至2009年期间举行的六轮六方会谈只是一种错觉，唯一的结果是给了平壤充分的时间一边大谈和平一边升级技术。

These technological upgrades have reached a critical level.

朝鲜核技术升级已达到关键水平。

Not only did Pyongyang’s test on Friday demonstrate a bone-chilling capability: the explosion had an estimated yield of 10 kilotons, not much less than the 15 kiloton bomb dropped on Hiroshima. It also — if Pyongyang’s official television news is to be believed — showed progress towards being able to attach such a warhead on to a missile.

上周五的核试验不仅表明其已具备令人胆寒的能力——爆炸当量估计为1万吨，与广岛原子弹爆炸1.5万吨的当量相差不多——还显示了（如果平壤官方电视台的新闻可信的话）朝鲜在导弹上装载核弹头的进展。

The nuclear test was the fifth in an accelerating programme that has run alongside multiple tests of mid-range missiles that can be fired from trucks and submarines.

此次核试验是朝鲜不断加速的核计划的第五次试验，同时朝鲜还进行了多次可以从卡车和潜艇上发射的中程导弹试验。

The latest three ballistic missiles were fired in the direction of Japan on the final day of the G20 summit held in China this month, where world leaders discussed regional security.

最新的三枚弹道导弹是在本月中国举办的二十国集团(G20)峰会的最后一天向着日本的方向发射的。全球领导人在G20峰会上讨论了地区安全问题。

Washington has issued only an initial reaction to the nuclear test as President Barack Obama returned home after a week in Asia.

由于美国总统巴拉克•奥巴马(Barack Obama)在结束为期一周的亚洲之行后刚刚返回美国，华盛顿方面仅对朝鲜核试验作出了初步反应。

The president indicated he would continue to consult our allies and partners in the days ahead to ensure provocative actions from North Korea are met with serious consequences, said Josh Earnest, White House press secretary.

总统表示他将在未来数日继续与我们的盟友和伙伴国商议，确保朝鲜的挑衅行为会遭受严重后果，白宫新闻秘书乔希•欧内斯特(Josh Earnest)表示。

But the reality is that, as with other incendiary issues in Asia including territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas, the US and China are on opposing sides of a deepening rivalry that is entrenching split loyalties across Asia.

但事实是，正如亚洲其他易爆问题（包括东中国海和南中国海上的领土纠纷）一样，美国和中国在日益加深的竞争关系中处于对立面，这加剧了整个亚洲在站队上的分裂。