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This is Fiery Cross island.
这里是永暑礁。
It's a little more than one square mile in size and it's home to a Chinese military base.
面积不过2.6平方千米，却驻扎着一个中国军事基地。
There's a 10,000 foot airstrip, an advanced radar station, a missile defense system, and about 200 troops.
岛上有一条长达三千多米的飞机跑道，一个先进的雷达站，一个导弹防御系统，还有将近200名士兵。
But the strangest thing about Fiery Cross Island is that two years ago, it didn't exist.
然而，最奇怪的是，两年前这座岛还根本不存在。
And neither did the six other Chinese military bases that have been built on man-made islands in the South China Sea.
中国南海人造岛上建造的其他六个中国军事基地也是如此。
If you look at this satellite image from 2014, you can see huge Chinese ships collecting around remote reefs in the Spratly Islands.
看看这幅2014年拍摄的卫星图，大家可以看到巨大的中国船只聚集在南沙群岛的礁石周围。
An archipelago in the South China Sea.
南沙群岛是位于中国南海的一个群岛。
In this image, these ships are rapidly pumping sand and rock up onto the reef.
在这张图片中，这些船只正忙着将沙石堆到珊瑚礁上。
They're building islands.
他们是在建造岛屿。
And less than a year later, the Chinese had seaports, air bases and buildings on their new islands and the world had taken notice.
不到一年，中国人在这些新岛上建立起了海港、空军基地等建筑，这引起了世界其他国家的注意。
We continue our look this morning on what China does not want you to see the superpower is reclaiming land
今晨，我们继续来关注中国不希望大家看到的一件事，那就是这个超级大国正在开垦新的土地。
In seven spots in the South China Sea
在中国南海的七处地方
adding on average more than three-and-a-half acres everyday.
平均每天扩充1400多平方米的空间。
See, with these islands, China is trying to lay claim to one of the most important areas of ocean in the world, the South China Sea.
看出来了吗？中国是想通过建造这些人工岛，主张自己对世界上最重要的区域之一——中国南海的主权。
The South China Sea is incredibly rich in natural resources, 11 billion barrels of oil, 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and ten percent of the world's fisheries.
南海的自然资源极为丰富，石油储量高达110亿桶，天然气储量高达5万多亿立方米，渔业也占到了世界总量的10%。
Most importantly though, 30% of the world's shipping trade flows through here to the booming population centers and economic markets of Southeast Asia.
然而，最重要的是，全球30％的海运船只都是经过这里去往东南亚人口密集的地区和经济市场的。
It's an extremely important body of water and right now five countries lay claim to some part of it.
这是一片非常重要的水域，如今有五个国家都声称自己对其部分地区拥有主权。
Now, most countries base their claim off the UN Law of the Seas, which says a country's territorial waters extend 200 miles off their shore.
他们大多依据的都是《联合国海洋法》，该法规定一个国家的领海范围是距离其海岸200英里以内的海域。
An area called the exclusive economic zone, or EEZ.
该地区也称为“专属经济区”（EEZ）。
Countries have exclusive rights to all the resources and trade in there EEZ.
各国对专属经济区的所有资源和贸易享有专有权。
It's their sovereign territory.
并对该地区拥有领土主权。
So for example, any oil that's found within 200 miles off the coast of Vietnam belongs exclusively to Vietnam.
例如，在离越南海岸200英里以内任何地方发现的石油都只属于越南。
But any area that isn't in an EEZ is regarded as international waters and it falls under UN maritime law which means everybody shares it.
任何不属于专属经济区的区域都被视为公海，受《联合国海洋法》管制，这就意味着大家可以共享该地区的资源。
Now, every country in the South China Sea region uses this 200-mile EEZ threshold to determine its claims.
现在，中国南海地区的每个国家都使用这个200英里的EEZ门槛来主张其对南海的主权。
All except China.
中国除外。
China argued they have a historical claim to the South China Sea dating back to naval expeditions in the 15th century.
中国认为，从历史的角度来看，该地区从15世纪中国海军远洋以来就属于中国。
And they mark it using a really confusing border called the nine-dash line.
他们还用所谓的“九段线”来划定中国对南海的主权，但这样划定出来的边界其实非常混乱。
Following World War II, Japan who had dominated the entire region, lost all control of its surrounding seas.
二战结束后，统治整个地区的日本彻底失去了对其周围海域的控制权。
China used the moment to claim the South China Sea by drawing this imprecise line on the map that encompassed ninety percent of the South China Sea.
中国就趁机划了这条不很精确，但包含了南海90%的区域在内的线段，声称自己对其拥有主权。
It became known as the nine-dash line.
这就是“九段线”的来历。
When the UN established the 200-mile EEZ in 1973 China stuck to its own line, refusing to clarify its boundaries and ignoring claims by other countries.
1973年联合国推出200英里的专属经济区时，中国坚持自己的路线，拒绝划清自己的界线，并对其他国家的主张置若罔闻。
Now that brings us to the Spratly Islands.
这就把我们带到了南沙群岛问题上面。
It's a remote barely inhabited cluster of islands currently claimed by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia.
这是一个目前中国、越南、菲律宾和马来西亚都想据为己有的几乎无人居住的群岛。
The Spratlys are both geographically and symbolically at the heart of South China Sea.
无论是从地理上还是重要性上来讲，南沙群岛都是中国南海的核心。
That's because any country that can claim the Spratly islands can extend their EEZs to include them and gain exclusive rights to the surrounding territory.
因为任何可以对南沙群岛拥有主权的国家都可以将其专属经济区扩大到南沙群岛及其周边地区。
But it's really hard to legitimately claim uninhabited piles of sand
然而，要想合法主张自己对几堆无人居住的沙滩拥有主权是很困难的，
so a few nations have built small buildings and ports on their claimed islands and even stuck a few people there.
因此，一些国家就在他们声称属于自己国家的小岛上建起了小型建筑和港口，甚至还塞了一些人去住在那里。
But China believes all the Spratly Islands belong to them which brings us back to why they're building islands there.
但中国认为，整个南沙群岛都属于中国，这也正是他们为什么要在那里建造岛屿的原因。
Installing military bases on these new artificial islands took the dispute to a whole new level,
在这些新的人工岛上驻扎军事基地的举动则把争端推到了一个新的高度，
showing how China's potentially willing to defend its claims with force.
显示了中国武力捍卫其主权的坚定决心。
