For the last few months, a plan by President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan to increase military spending by $40 billion over eight years has been held up by his political rivals. This week, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators used a visit to Taiwan to throw their support behind the plan, which is seen as a building block for easing concerns in Washington about Taiwan’s commitment to its own defense.

过去几个月来，台湾总统赖清德提出的八年内追加1.25万亿新台币（约合400亿美元）的国防预算计划一直遭到政治对手的阻挠。本周，一个由美国两党参议员组成的代表团利用访台机会表达了对该计划的支持。该预算计划被视为缓解华盛顿方面对台湾自身防务承诺担忧的关键基石。

The two Republican and two Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee also tried to demonstrate U.S. commitment to the island at a time when the Trump administration has made negotiations with Beijing a priority.

特朗普政府将与北京的谈判列为优先事项之际，这四位来自参议院外交委员会的议员（两名共和党人，两名民主党人）也试图展示美国对台承诺。

Even so, the senators heard concerns from Taiwan about delays in deliveries of U.S. weapons already purchased. And China, which claims Taiwan as its territory and has urged President Trump to curb arms sales to Taiwan, protested the visit.

不过，这些参议员也听到了台湾方面对已采购的美国武器交付延误的担忧。同时，中国方面对这次访问提出了抗议。中国宣称对台湾拥有主权，并已敦促特朗普总统限制对台军售。

Why Taiwan’s $40 Billion Defense Plan is Stuck

为什么400亿美元的国防计划陷入停滞

The senators publicly urged Taiwanese lawmakers to approve President Lai’s spending proposal, arguing that the extra money could help deter China from contemplating an attack and also spur the growth of Taiwan’s own defense industry, such as in drones and munitions.

参议员们公开敦促台湾立法机构批准赖清德的支出提案，称这笔追加资金不仅有助于威慑中国，使其不敢轻举妄动，同时也能推动台湾自身国防工业的增长，例如无人机和弹药等领域。

“it’s also about capabilities that are critical rather than a single dollar amount,” Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat from New Hampshire, told reporters in Taipei. “Those capabilities, as we look at the potential threat and the challenges ahead, require a certain level of capability and technological expertise that are going to cost.”

来自新罕布什尔州的民主党参议员珍妮·夏欣在台北对记者表示：“这不仅是钱的问题，更关乎关键能力的建设。面对潜在威胁和未来挑战，这些能力需要达到一定水平，而这必然需要投入相应的技术和资金。”

President Lai’s proposal, which he put forward after pressure from the Trump administration on Taiwan to spend more on its own defense, has been bogged down in the legislature, where opposition parties have a majority.

赖清德总统的这项提案是在特朗普政府施压要求台湾增加国防支出的背景下提出的。但由于在野党在立法机构中占多数席位，该提案目前在立法院遇阻。

Taiwan’s Nationalist Party, the main opposition, has criticized Mr. Lai’s proposal, saying it lacks transparency. They have also cited concerns about a backlog of undelivered arms orders from the United States.

台湾主要在野党国民党批评赖清德的提案缺乏透明度，并指出美国积压的武器订单尚未交付，令他们担忧。

On Monday, Deputy Defense Minister Hsu Szu-chien of Taiwan aired those concerns to the senators during a visit to a research institute that is developing drones. “There are still items that we have already paid for and are not yet delivered,” Mr. Hsu said in televised comments, explaining that he was relaying a message from a Taiwanese opposition lawmaker.

周一，台湾国防部副部长徐斯俭在陪同参议员参观一家无人机研发机构时，表达了这些关切。“目前仍有部分军购项目已经付款但尚未交货，”徐斯俭在电视播出的发言中说，并表示这是转达一位台湾在野党立委的意见。

The Nationalist Party’s chairwoman, Cheng Li-wun, has proposed $12 billion in funding to pay for more weapons from the United States, with more purchases possible later.

国民党主席郑丽文提议拨款3800亿台币（约合120亿美元）用于购买更多美国武器，并表示后续可能还会进行更多采购。

The senators’ comments matter in Taiwan, where voters and many politicians are generally sensitive to views from Washington, and they could embolden some opposition politicians to back bigger increases in military spending.

这些参议员的表态在台湾具有重要影响，因为台湾的选民和许多政界人士通常对华盛顿的态度非常敏感。这些言论也可能促使部分在野党政治人物支持更大幅度的军费增长。

How a Trump-Xi Summit Could Change the Stakes

“习特会”将如何改变博弈筹码

President Trump is scheduled to meet China’s leader, Xi Jinping, in mid-May, prompting speculation about whether Mr. Trump could soften U.S. verbal support for Taiwan. The Trump administration has already held off from deciding on an package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at billions of dollars to avoid upsetting Mr. Xi, according to U.S. officials. In a phone call last month, Mr. Xi warned Mr. Trump that arms sales to Taiwan should be carefully handled.

特朗普总统计划在5月中旬与中国领导人习近平会面，这引发了外界对于特朗普是否会软化美国对台口头支持的猜测。据美国官员透露，特朗普政府已暂缓决定一项价值数十亿美元的对台军售方案，以避免激怒习近平。习近平在上个月的通话中曾警告特朗普，对台军售问题应当谨慎处理。

Some experts have said, for example, that Mr. Xi may try to coax Mr. Trump to say that the United States opposes independence for Taiwan. There are no signs that Taiwan wants to claim formal independence, and opposition from Washington to any such move would not be new. But such words would carry more weight if Mr. Trump uttered them in Beijing, and could magnify jitters in Taiwan about Mr. Trump’s commitment to the island.

一些专家表示，举例而言，习近平可能会试图劝诱特朗普表态美国反对台湾独立。实际上目前没有迹象表明台湾有意宣布正式独立，而华盛顿反对此类举动也并非新鲜事。但如果这些话是特朗普在北京亲口说出，其分量将更重，并可能加剧台湾内部对特朗普是否坚定支持这个岛屿的担忧。

Senator John Curtis, a Republican representing Utah, said support for Taiwan remained strong and bipartisan in the U.S. Congress. It need not be bad for Taiwan if U.S.-China relations improve, he added. “If we have a bad relationship with China, it is far more likely that China would be aggressive to Taiwan,” he said.

代表犹他州的共和党参议员匡希恒(John Curtis)表示，美国国会对台湾的支持依然稳固，而且是跨党派的。他补充道，美中关系的改善对台湾而言未必是坏事。“如果我们与中国的关系恶化，中国反而更有可能对台湾采取激进行动，”他说道。

China Warns of ‘Wrong Signals’ Sent by Visit

中国警告：访问释放了“错误信号”

The visit by the senators was met with protest in Beijing, in line with the Chinese government’s long opposition to visits by foreign lawmakers to Taipei, which China views as an endorsement of the island’s push for international recognition.

参议员的此次访问遭到了北京方面的抗议，这与中国政府长期以来反对外国议员访问台北的立场一致。中国认为，这类访问等同于对台湾争取国际承认的支持。

Mao Ning, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, accused the United States of sending “wrong signals” to so-called separatist forces, which is Beijing’s term for Mr. Lai’s party, which is skeptical of Beijing and asserts that Taiwan is in effect independent.

中国外交部发言人毛宁指责美国向所谓“分裂势力”发出“错误信号”。“分裂势力”是北京对赖清德所属政党的称呼，该党对北京持怀疑态度，并主张台湾事实上已经是独立的。

Chinese media cited Chinese scholars as saying the visit was nothing more than a political show by the governing party of Taiwan to pressure the opposition.

中国媒体援引学者的观点称，此次访问无非是台湾执政党为了向在野党施压而搞的一场政治表演。

China has also sought to show that it has influence in Taiwan’s political landscape. The Senate delegation’s visit to Taiwan coincided with an announcement on Monday from Ms. Cheng of the Nationalist Party that she will visit China next week, possibly for a meeting with Mr. Xi.

中国也试图展示其在台湾政治格局中的影响力。参议院代表团访台之际，国民党主席郑丽文周一宣布，她将于下周访问中国，期间或将与习近平会面。

“We think that dialogue is a good thing. As we know, President Trump is going to be visiting China next month,” Ms. Shaheen said when asked about Ms. Cheng’s trip. But, the senator added, China should be open to talking to all of Taiwan’s political parties.

当被问及郑丽文此行时，参议员夏欣表示：“我们认为对话是好事。正如我们所知，特朗普总统下个月也将访问中国。”但她补充道，中国应当对与台湾所有政党展开对话持开放态度。