中国公民中非遇害事件凸显北京面临的安全挑战 - 纽约时报双语版
纽约时报双语版NICOLE HONG, ELIAN PELTIER2023年5月16日
The Chinese embassy in the Central African Republic had a stark warning for its compatriots in the landlocked nation: Do not leave the capital city of Bangui. Kidnappings of foreigners were on the rise, and any Chinese person outside of Bangui was to leave those areas immediately.
中国驻中非共和国大使馆曾郑重提醒身在这个内陆国家的本国同胞：不要前往首都班吉以外的地方。外国公民遭绑架事件呈上升趋势，尚在首都班吉以外地区的中国公民应立刻撤离。
Less than a week later, on March 19, a group of gunmen stormed a remote gold mine far away from Bangui and killed nine Chinese workers.
在那之后不到一周，即今年3月19日，一群持枪者冲进远离班吉的一个偏远金矿，杀死了九名中国工人。
The Central African government has said that it investigated the massacre and concluded that a leading rebel group had orchestrated it. The rebels have denied the allegation and blamed a third party that operates in the country — Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, which has in turn accused the rebels. None of the sides has presented evidence for its claims.
中非政府表示，已对这起杀戳事件进行了调查，并认定事件由一个主要的反叛组织策划。该组织否认了这个指控，并将其归咎于在中非活动的第三方——俄罗斯雇佣军瓦格纳集团，后者反过来指责反叛组织。但双方均未提供证据。
The investigation has left a trail of unanswered questions about the motives and methods of the attackers. More than a dozen Central African soldiers were supposed to be protecting the site, according to a diplomat briefed on the investigation, but on the day of the attack, only four of them were there and all survived.
关于袭击者的动机和手法，中非政府的调查留下了一连串未解之谜。据一名了解调查情况的外交官，本该有十余名中非士兵保护金矿，但在袭击发生那天，只有四名士兵在现场，而且他们都幸免于难。
The victims have not been identified, and their bodies were cremated shortly after the attack. One local mayor said the workers were shot at close range. A photo shared by local and Western officials based in the country showed how the assailants left the bodies face down in a row in the rust-colored mud, as if to send a message.
遇害者的身份尚未公布，他们的尸体在袭击发生后不久就已火化。当地一名市长表示，工人是被近距离射杀的。当地官员及住在该国的西方官员分享的一张照片显示，袭击者将死者的尸体留在锈色的泥土上，面朝下地排成一排，仿佛是要传递一个信息。
The murkiness around the killings underscored the growing security challenge facing the Chinese government as Chinese companies have rapidly expanded their activities around the world, often stepping into the middle of conflict zones with unstable governments and armed groups vying for territory.
随着中国企业在世界各地的活动迅速增多，它们往往涉足的是缺乏稳定政府、武装团体相互争夺领土的冲突地区，而围绕这起杀戮事件的重重疑云，凸显出中国政府面临的安全挑战日益严峻。
今年3月在班吉举行的支持俄罗斯在中非共和国存在的游行。Chinese workers have faced rising threats in countries like Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Pakistan, including a suicide bombing last year that targeted a Chinese cultural center in Karachi and killed three Chinese teachers. In 2020, three Chinese nationals were killed after a Chinese-owned warehouse in Zambia was set on fire.
中国工人在尼日利亚、刚果民主共和国和巴基斯坦等国家面临着越来越多的威胁，包括去年针对卡拉奇中国文化中心的自杀式炸弹袭击，造成三名中国教师死亡。2020年，赞比亚的一家中国人拥有的仓库遭纵火，导致三名中国公民丧生。
The attacks have exposed the widening disconnect between China’s economic ambitions and its security apparatus abroad, which relies on a patchwork of local military, mercenaries and private firms to guard Chinese workers, analysts say. China’s military has a minimal presence overseas and a limited ability to project force far beyond its borders, according to John Van Oudenaren, an analyst focused on Chinese foreign policy at the Jamestown Foundation, a think tank.
分析人士称，这些袭击事件暴露了中国的经济雄心及其海外安全机构之间越来越大的脱节，中国依赖当地的军队、雇佣军和私营公司来保护海外中国工人。智库詹姆斯敦基金会专门研究中国外交政策的分析师约翰·范奥德纳伦说，中国在海外只有极少的军事存在，向境外投射力量的能力有限。
But China’s leader, Xi Jinping, has aggressively trumpeted a more nationalist image of China, raising the pressure at home on his government to show that China is proactively protecting its citizens overseas. In late April, as part of the evacuation of Chinese nationals out of Sudan, which has been rocked by a war between two rival generals, the Chinese government sent a military vessel that displayed the sign: “Chairman Xi has sent this naval ship to bring everyone home.”
但中国领导人习近平一直大力宣扬一个民族主义中国的形象，这加大了国内要求政府展示其正在积极保护海外中国公民的压力。今年4月下旬，苏丹局势因两个敌对的将军开战而动荡不安，中国政府派了一艘军舰，将中国公民撤离苏丹，军舰上贴的标语是：“习主席派军舰接大家回家。”
“China is on thin ice in the sense that they’re entering some of the most poorly governed places in the world and supercharging conflicts,” said Ammar Malik, a senior research scientist at William & Mary who tracks Chinese development finance. “And every time an attack happens, it angers the Chinese public and forces China to reconsider this light-touch, hands-off approach.”
“中国正在涉足世界上一些管理最乱的地方，涉足剧烈冲突，从某种意义上说，这存在很大风险，”跟踪中国发展资金的威廉与玛丽学院的高级研究员阿马尔·马利克说。“每次袭击事件发生后，都会激怒中国公众，迫使中国重新考虑这种轻描淡写、不干涉的做法。”
来自瓦格纳集团的俄罗斯雇佣兵在班吉的一个仪式上守卫贵宾，摄于2019年。After the killings in the Central African Republic, people on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, commented sarcastically that the attack did not align with the portrayal of China in the “Wolf Warrior” movies, a pair of nationalistic Chinese action films that promoted the notion that China would always protect its citizens from danger in foreign lands.
中非共和国的杀戮事件发生后，微博上有人发表讽刺性评论，称这次袭击与系列影片《战狼》对中国的描绘不符。《战狼》系列是两部宣扬民族主义的中国动作片，推销的是中国始终保护其海外公民免受危险的观念。
But most online comments about the attack were heavily censored, with Weibo playing down hashtags about the deaths. Instead, the site highlighted a sharp public rebuke by Mr. Xi, who called for the attackers to be severely punished.
但网络上大多数关于这次袭击的评论都已被严格审查，微博对有关死亡事件的标签进行了淡化处理。取而代之的是，该平台强调了习近平对杀戮事件的严厉谴责，他要求严惩凶手。
The accusations around Wagner’s potential involvement are particularly sensitive for China, pointing to the complications Mr. Xi faces as he strengthens ties with Russia, even amid the war in Ukraine, with the goal of counterbalancing the United States and its Western allies. The killings occurred one day before Mr. Xi landed in Moscow to meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir V. Putin.
对中国来说，有关瓦格纳集团可能参与其中的指控尤其敏感，这指出了习近平所面临的复杂情况。为了制衡美国及其西方盟友，习近平一直在加强与俄罗斯关系，尽管后者入侵乌克兰。中国公民在中非遇害事件发生在习近平前往莫斯科与俄罗斯总统普京举行会晤的前一天。
Some influential Chinese, like Hu Xijin, the former editor of the Global Times, a Communist Party newspaper, have said those who blamed Wagner for the attack were trying to undermine relations between China and Russia.
一些有影响力的中国人，比如中共小报《环球时报》的前主编胡锡进表示，那些指责瓦格纳集团发动袭击的人，是在试图破坏中俄关系。
中国领导人习近平与俄罗斯总统普京今年3月在莫斯科的克林姆林宫。Wagner, a Kremlin-backed private network of firms involved in security, political influence and the exploitation of natural resources, has been a dominant presence in the Central African Republic since 2018. It provides personal protection and political support for President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, in exchange for access to diamonds, gold and timber.
瓦格纳集团是一个得到克里姆林宫支持的网络，属于该网络的私人公司从事安全、政治影响和自然资源开发等活动。自2018年以来，瓦格纳集团在中非共和国相当活跃。它为福斯坦—阿尔尚热·图瓦德拉总统提供个人保镖和政治支持，得到的回报是钻石、黄金和木材的开发权。
In many parts of the country, Wagner has pushed out rebel groups from resource-rich areas, prompting them to turn more to kidnappings for ransom.
在中非许多地区，瓦格纳集团已将反叛组织赶出了资源丰富的地方，迫使他们更多地转向绑架勒索。
In early March, miners started to work near the village of Chimbolo, several hours northeast of the capital. The Gold Coast Group, a Chinese company, was opening a new gold mine there. The attack came soon after.
今年3月初，矿工们开始在距离首都东北几小时车程的钦博洛村附近工作。中国公司黄金海岸集团正在那里开辟新金矿。不久就发生了袭击事件。
Researchers and local officials say the area is controlled by Wagner and the Central African army. But the government blamed the Coalition of Patriots for Change, an alliance of rebel groups. In response, Aboubakar Siddick Ali, a spokesman for the group, said in an interview that the rebels did not operate in the area to avoid being “cornered by Wagner.”
研究人员和当地官员表示，该地区由瓦格纳集团和中非军队控制。但政府指责“爱国者变革联盟”是袭击者，这是一个反叛组织形成的联盟。“爱国者变革联盟”发言人阿布巴卡尔·西迪克·阿里为回应指控接受了采访，他说，叛乱组织为了避免“被瓦格纳集团逼入绝境”，不在该地区活动。
反叛组织联盟——爱国者变革联盟的成员在中非共和国的一个村庄巡逻，摄于2021年。Wagner has become more dependent on its mining operations in Africa, a source of hard cash that helps businessmen close to the Kremlin circumvent the Western sanctions imposed after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, said Alessandro Arduino, an expert on Chinese security at King’s College London.
在伦敦国王学院研究中国安全问题的专家亚历山德罗·阿尔杜伊诺称，瓦格纳集团越来越依赖在非洲的采矿业务，这个现金来源帮助那些与克里姆林宫关系密切的商人规避西方在俄罗斯发动对乌克兰的全面战争后对俄罗斯实施的制裁。
“Wagner and China have the same exploitative interest in Africa, but Wagner thrives in chaos, while China needs stability,” Mr. Arduino said.
“瓦格纳集团和中国在非洲有着同样的剥削性的利益，但对瓦格纳集团来说越乱越好，而中国需要稳定，”阿尔杜伊诺说。
Gold Coast, which was not reachable for comment, was one of many small Chinese mining companies that have sought in recent years to mine gold from the Central African Republic. Those firms have diverted waterways to mine riverbeds, researchers say, damaging the environment and angering local populations. Several of them have also been accused of human rights abuses.
记者无法联系到黄金海岸集团请其置评，该集团是近年来在中非共和国寻找开采黄金机会的众多中国小型矿业公司之一。研究人员说，这些公司将河水改道，在河床上进行开采，破坏了环境，激怒了当地居民。其中有些公司还被指控侵犯人权。
“The presence of foreign companies creates tensions with locals, as one can expect,” said Olivier Mbombo Mossito, who previously worked as a public prosecutor in Bambari, the closest city to the site of the killing. “The acquisition of this mining site by a Chinese company may have caused some anger, but from whom?”
“外国公司的出现制造了与当地人的紧张关系，正如人们所预料的那样，”奥利维耶·姆博姆博·莫西托说，他曾在距离杀戳现场最近的城市班巴里担任检察官。“一家中国公司收购了这个矿场可能引起了一些愤怒，但来自谁呢？”
去年11月，班吉的工人们卸下从河底采集的沙子，将其用于建设项目。Arnaud Djoubaye Abazène, the Central African Republic’s justice minister, told reporters last month that the rebels were “unquestionably” behind the killing. But he did not release any evidence or take questions from reporters. He thanked “our Russian allies” for arresting and killing some of the suspected attackers, who have not been named.
中非共和国司法部长阿尔诺·朱贝·阿巴泽内上个月对记者表示，叛军“毫无疑问”是这起杀戮事件的幕后黑手。但他没有公布任何证据，也没有接受记者的提问。他感谢了“我们的俄罗斯盟友”抓获并杀死了几名未给出姓名的嫌疑人。
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, said in a written response to questions that “bandits killed the Chinese.”
瓦格纳集团的负责人叶夫根尼·普里戈任在一份书面答复中写道，“土匪杀了中国人”。
“The bandits were found,” Mr. Prigozhin wrote. “There is nothing to discuss here.”
“土匪已被抓获，”普里戈任写道。“这里没什么好讨论的。”
But researchers and Western diplomats say the killings of the miners did not fit the profile of how rebel groups have targeted Chinese nationals in the past. The groups have typically kidnapped Chinese workers to extract ransom from their employers, with such execution-style assassinations being highly unusual.
但研究人员和西方外交官称，杀死矿工的行为不符合反叛组织过去针对中国公民的做法。这些团体通常会绑架中国工人从雇主那里勒索赎金，这次的处决式枪杀非常不寻常。
Two Chinese officials dispatched from Beijing attended the justice minister’s news conference. They said that they had not yet been able to access the scene of the crime.
北京派来的两名中国官员出席了中非司法部长的新闻发布会。他们表示还无法进入案发现场。
The mine has been closed since March 19. China repatriated about 80 citizens shortly after the killing.
该矿自3月19日起已关闭。杀戳事件后不久，中国从当地撤走了约80名公民。
Nicole Hong报道关于纽约经济的新闻。加入时报之前，她曾是《华尔街日报》的执法新闻记者，参与的团队曾在2019年获得普利策国家新闻奖。
Elian Peltier是时报驻西非记者。他于2017年加入时报，此前驻巴黎和伦敦。他目前居住在塞内加尔达喀尔。欢迎在Twitter上关注他：@ElianPeltier。
翻译：纽约时报中文网
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