But China’s leaders have never been clear about the exact location of the “nine-dotted line,” or about whether their claims refer only to certain land features, or also to more extensive continental shelves and seas. When asked why they do not clarify their claims, my Chinese interlocutors sometimes say that to do so would require difficult political and bureaucratic compromises that would provoke domestic nationalists.
但中国领导人从未划定过“九条虚线”的确切位置，也没有明确过他们的要求是仅仅针对某些地貌，还是更为宽泛的海洋和大陆架。当被问及中国为什么不澄清要求时，中方对话者有时会说这需要艰难的政治和官僚妥协，还有可能刺激国内的民族主义者。