TAIPEI, Taiwan — President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan welcomed American dignitaries on Wednesday in the face of rising tensions with China, saying the self-ruled island needed to protect itself “from new, sophisticated threats coming from across the strait.”

台灣台北——面對與中國不斷加劇的緊張關係，台灣總統蔡英文週三迎接到訪的美國政要，稱這個自治的島嶼需要保護自己「不受來自對岸複雜的新型威脅」。

Ms. Tsai made the remarks at a dinner at the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, the law that has guided the United States’ unofficial relationship with the island’s government. The dinner was but the latest round of signaling of Washington’s resolve to stand by Taiwan as tensions mount with Beijing.

蔡英文是在台北美國商會為紀念《台灣關係法》(Taiwan Relations Act)40週年的晚宴上發表此番講話的。該法案一直指導著美國與該島政府之間的非正式關係。這次晚宴被認為是華盛頓在與中國關係日益緊張之際，支持台灣的最新一輪信號。

In the past two weeks, Washington, Taipei and Beijing have traded words over Chinese jet incursions, Taiwan’s requests for American-made fighter jets, the American military presence in its unofficial embassy in Taipei, and Ms. Tsai’s recent stop in Hawaii.

過去两週來，華盛頓、台北和北京方面發生了多次言辭交鋒，涉及中國飛機侵入、台灣要求購買美國戰機、美國在台北非官方大使館的軍事存在，以及蔡英文過境夏威夷。

“We must make sure Taiwan’s economic and security position remains on the right track,” Ms. Tsai told a group largely comprising American businesspeople, emphasizing the need to continue diversifying Taiwan’s economy from reliance on mainland China.

「我們必須確保台灣的經濟和安全地位繼續保持在正確的軌道上，」蔡英文告訴這個以美國商界人士為主的團體，強調有必要繼續實現台灣經濟的多元化，以期擺脫對中國大陸的依賴。

The Communist government in Beijing seeks to assert sovereignty over Taiwan, potentially using military force to do so. The United States considers Taiwan’s political status to be undetermined, while opposing attempts by China to coerce unification.

北京的共產黨政府尋求對台灣行駛主權，為此可能會動用武力。美國認為台灣的政治地位尚未確定，同時反對中國強制統一的企圖。

On March 31, two Chinese J-11 fighter jets crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which separates mainland China and Taiwan, for the first time since 1999. The incursion came days after a United States Navy destroyer and a United States Coast Guard cutter traversed the strait, which, like the South China Sea, is considered to be international waters under international law, but Beijing claims as its territory.

3月31日，兩架中國殲-11戰鬥機越過了分割中國大陸與台灣的台灣海峽中線，這是自1999年以來的第一次。這次侵入發生在一艘美國海軍驅逐艦和美國海岸警衛隊(Coast Guard)快艇越過台灣海峽數日之後。和中國南海一樣，這道海峽在國際法中被認為是國際水域，但北京聲稱歸其所有。

Taiwan jets scrambled and repelled their Chinese counterparts, which came within 115 miles of the island’s coast.

中國戰機進入了台灣海岸115英里範圍內，台灣戰機緊急升空攔截。

“These actions by China are not only unilateral changes to the cross-strait status quo, even more, they are a brazen provocation to regional security and stability,” Ms. Tsai said in a Facebook post the following day, in her first public comment on the events.

「中國的這些舉動不僅是對兩岸現狀的單方面改變，更是對地區安全與穩定的公然挑釁，」蔡英文在次日的Facebook帖子中對該事件首次發表公開評論。

Ms. Tsai warned China against further provocations.

蔡英文警告中國不要進一步挑釁。

“Our military protects our territory without rest, as president I assure our citizens that I will fight together with our soldiers to the very end,” she wrote. “We will not yield an inch of our territory!”

「我們的軍隊日以繼夜地守衛著我們的領土，我以總統的名義向我們的公民保證，我將和我們的士兵一起戰鬥到最後，」她寫道。「領土一寸也不能丟！」

The last sentence echoed widely publicized exhortations by the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, who has threatened Taiwan with war should it formalize its functional independence. The Chinese Communist Party claims Taiwan as its territory, but it has never controlled the island, which is still officially ruled by the Republic of China government overthrown in the mainland in 1949.

最後一句重複了中國主席習近平那句被廣為宣傳的勸誡，他曾威脅，如果台灣正式獨立，他將發起戰爭。中國共產黨稱台灣是其領土，但從未控制過這座島嶼，台灣名義上仍由1949年在大陸被推翻的中華民國統治。

The dinner on Wednesday was stocked with American business officials, many of whom have expressed concerns about saber rattling from Beijing. David Meale, the deputy assistant secretary of state for trade policy and negotiations, who was the event’s special guest, pledged that “the United States will remain steadfast in all of its commitments to Taiwan.”

出席週三晚宴的有許多美國商務官員，其中許多人對北京當局的武力威脅表示了擔憂。作為活動特邀嘉賓，負責貿易政策和談判的副助理國務卿米德偉(David Meale)誓言「美國將繼續堅定履行對台灣的所有承諾」。

Washington broke ties with Taiwan’s government in 1979 as a prerequisite for establishing formal relations with the People’s Republic of China in Beijing. Months later, President Jimmy Carter signed the Taiwan Relations Act, which calls for Taiwan’s status to be determined by peaceful means, and for the United States to provide the means for Taiwan to defend itself.

1979年，華盛頓中斷了與台灣政府的關係，作為在北京與中華人民共和國建立正式關係的先決條件。幾個月後，吉米·卡特(Jimmy Carter)總統簽署了《台灣關係法》，呼籲台灣的地位應由和平手段決定，並要求美國為台灣提供自衛手段。

In late February, Taiwan asked to buy 66 F-16V fighter jets from the United States. If approved it would be the first aircraft sale since 1992 and a major reversal of the trend under previous administrations, which avoided large arms deals to Taiwan out of fear of angering China.

2月底，台灣要求從美國購買66架F-16V戰鬥機。如果獲得批准，這將是自1992年以來首次對台飛機銷售，也將是對前幾屆政府做法的重大逆轉。由於擔心激怒中國，它們一直避免同台灣進行大規模武器交易。

Chen Chung-chi, a spokesman for Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense, said the government hoped that Washington would approve the latest request, which was solely for defensive purposes in the face of a growing threat from China, which he described as a “troublemaker.”

台灣國防部發言人陳中吉說，政府希望華盛頓能夠批准這一最新請求，它完全是出於防禦目的，因為中國的威脅越來越大。他說，中國是「麻煩製造者」。

Zhu Songling, the director of the Institute of Taiwan Studies at Beijing Union University, said that aside from arms sales, some members of Congress were pushing the government toward an increasingly official relationship. One such bill, the Taiwan Travel Act, signed into law by President Trump, encourages official exchanges up to the highest level, which would include presidential visits.

北京聯合大學台灣研究院兩岸關係研究所所長朱松嶺表示，除了軍售，一些國會議員還在推動政府與台灣建立日益正式的關係。其中一項由川普總統簽署成為法律的《台灣旅遊法》(Taiwan Travel Act)鼓勵最高級別的官方交流，其中還包括總統訪問。

China has used economic enticements to convince Taiwan’s allies to drop recognition of Taipei in favor of Beijing. The Trump administration is wary of China gaining more footholds in the South Pacific, which the United States military views as strategically vital in the event of active warfare with China.

中國利用經濟誘惑，說服台灣的盟友放棄承認台北，轉而承認北京。川普政府對中國在南太平洋獲得更多立足點持警惕態度，美國軍方認為，在與中國發生積極戰爭的情況下，南太平洋具有重要的戰略意義。

While Washington does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the American Institute of Taiwan serves its interests on the island. The group is preparing to move into a $250 million heavily fortified compound that was recently built in Taipei.

儘管華盛頓與台灣沒有正式外交關係，但美國在台協會(American Institute of Taiwan)為其在台灣的利益服務。該團體正準備搬進前不久在台北落成的一座耗資2.5億美元、戒備森嚴的建築群。

Legally a nonprofit organization headquartered in Virginia and staffed by State Department employees on leave, the institute drew Chinese criticism this month after its spokeswoman, Amanda Mansour, told Taiwan media that active-duty American personnel from all four military branches had been stationed on the island since 2005.

從法律上講，該協會是一個總部位於維吉尼亞州的非營利性組織，工作人員都是國務院的離崗人員。本月，該協會的發言人孟雨荷(Amanda Mansour)對台灣媒體表示，自2005年以來，美國所有四個軍事部門都有現役人員駐紮在台灣，之後該協會遭到了中國大陸的批評。

For years, the institute had sidestepped the question of whether it housed American military staff, and Ms. Mansour’s statement raised the question whether it was a message to an increasingly aggressive China. The personnel will move into the new compound when it formally begins operations on May 6, she said.

多年來，該協會一直迴避是否有美國軍事人員駐紮在這裡的問題，孟雨荷的聲明令人們懷疑：它是不是向日益咄咄逼人的中國傳達的信號。她說，這些人員將在5月6日新建築正式運營時搬進來。

Several American senators made recorded video statements that were shown at the dinner in Taipei on Wednesday, offering American support for Taiwan in the face of Chinese pressure. The lawmakers included Marco Rubio of Florida, Pat Roberts of Kansas and Cory Gardner of Colorado — all Republicans — as well as Tim Kaine of Virginia, a Democrat.

在週三台北的晚宴上，還播放了幾名美國參議員錄製的影片聲明，他們表示，美國將頂著中國的壓力支持台灣。這些議員包括佛羅里達州的馬可·盧比奧(Marco Rubio)、堪薩斯州的帕特·羅伯茨(Pat Roberts)和科羅拉多州的科裡·加德納(Cory Gardner)——他們都是共和黨人——還有維吉尼亞州的民主黨人蒂姆·凱恩(Tim Kaine)。

“The United States must continue to stand by Taiwan and encourage our democratic allies and partners around the world to maintain official relations with Taipei,” Mr. Rubio said, “regardless of any pressure or coercion coming from Beijing.”

「美國必須繼續支持台灣，鼓勵我們在世界各地的民主盟友和夥伴與台北保持正式關係，」盧比奧說，「不管來自北京的任何壓力或脅迫。」