China in isolation for its handling of Hong Kong
KANEKO Hidetoshi / Journalist
August 28, 2020
The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (NPC), which had been postponed due to the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus infection, was held in May. There, it approved the draft of the "Hong Kong National Security Maintenance Law" (Hong Kong National Security Law), which applies the mainland security law to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
The purpose of the bill was to abolish the "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong provided for in the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984. Legislative procedure rapidly progressed in the Standing Committee of the NPC, and the bill was passed on June 30. President Xi Jinping signed the enforcement order. At 11:00 p.m. on the same day, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced that the law had been enacted with “immediate effect".
One hour later, on July 1, it was the 23rd anniversary of return of Hong Kong amidst the 99th anniversary of the establishment of the Chinese Communist Party. Deng Xiaoping, China's supreme leader, had promised 50 years of “one country, two systems" to the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at their summit meeting, but this was suddenly cut by more than half. That was probably meant as a floral decoration to highlight the 99th anniversary of the establishment of the party.
In mid-May, Xu Zhangrun, Professor at Tsinghua University, who had been a severe critic of the dictatorship of Xi Jinping, wrote a piece heavily criticizing Xi’s coercive measures against the Coronavirus, and this piece of writing gained widespread popularity via SNS. I happened to read this after the Hong Kong National Security Law came into effect. As I saw the title "China, a Lone Ship of State on the Vast Ocean of Global Civilization", there were overlapping images in my eyes of the power which had made a desperate effort to hide the epidemic in China from the eyes of the world and of the power which rushed to rule Hong Kong ignoring worldwide concerns. The metaphor of "lone ship" is poignant. A small ship adrift with 1.4 billion people on board!
With the Hong Kong National Security Law in effect, China has now opened a law enforcement agency, the National Security Office, allowing the country to directly enforce Chinese law, enabling it to evade Hong Kong courts, and prosecute people from Hong Kong in mainland Chinese courts. The Chinese government is no longer bound by the "one country, two systems."
The "one country, two systems" policy written into the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration is the brainchild of Deng Xiaoping, who was the supreme leader of China at that time. China guaranteed that it would retain a British-style "rule of law" and social system for 50 years after retrieving Hong Kong's sovereignty. The Sino-British Joint Declaration was registered with the United Nations as a formal treaty.
However, President Xi Jinping at the 19th Communist Party Congress in 2017, declared that the "Deng Xiaoping era" had ended, and "Xi Jinping’s new era" had begun. As the supreme leader of the “Xi Jinping era" is President Xi, the policy of the "Deng Xiaoping era" was no longer valid. After that, Deng Xiaoping's “reform and open-door policy” was negated and the return to the "Mao Zedong era" began. However, if they dared to think that they can even break international promises, China would have to be prepared to become a “lone ship” adrift in the civilized world.
That said, the Xi administration did not invalidate the Sino-British Joint Statement on a whim. In 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly notified the British Foreign Office of the invalidation of the Sino-British Joint Statement. Nonetheless, the British government at that time invited Xi as a Guest of State, received investment in large-scale projects such as nuclear power generation and praised the “Golden Age” with China.
It is not someone else's problem either. In October 1978, Deng Xiaoping came to Japan to exchange the ratification documents for the Japan-China Peace and Amity Treaty and had a press conference at the Japan Press Club. Regarding the sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands, he said “we can put it on the shelf until we have a good idea which is acceptable to the both sides in the next generation". Now in the era of Xi Jinping, these words of Deng Xiaoping are no longer followed. President Xi’s postponed visit to Japan as a State Guest, if it had taken place as scheduled, would have been the dawn of the "Golden Age" between Japan and China, in which the agreement on the shelving of the Senkaku Islands issue would be invalidated.
At any rate who will be happy with the enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law? How is anyone in the world to be happy with the arrival of the Xi Jinping era? What is Xi thinking about? The answer finally came out of his own mouth. "Generational succession of revolutionary armed struggle"- China intends to continue its armed struggle until they rule the "community of common human destiny".
After the signing of the enforcement order of the Hong Kong National Security Law, the movement of Xi disappeared from the Chinese media for 20 days. During this period, Coronavirus infections recurred in northern China and southern China was hit by a major flood. However, Xi appeared on July 21 at the roundtable discussion of business executives held in Beijing.
The next day, he visited Jilin Province in the opposite direction of the flood-stricken area. In addition to visiting the Air Force School and an automobile company, he made a speech at the Siping Battle Memorial Hall of the People's Liberation War. "(The battle between the Communist Party army and the Nationalist Party army was) only one battle in the process of revolutionary armed struggle." He also added, "The great undertaking of socialism will be handed down from generation to generation."
What Xi is thinking of is the succession of this "liberation war," which was not completed in his father’s generation. Following the Hong Kong National Security Law, he may well be programing in his mind "armed liberation" of Taiwan, "anti-US, pro-North Korea war" on the Korean Peninsula, or even the “liberation of Ryukyu liberation".
The day after Xi’s speech in Jillin, US Secretary of State Pompeo declared the Xi regime as that of a "bankrupt totalitarian ideology" and stated that they would abandon the old paradigm of blind engagement with China. The confrontation between China and the United States has come to a crucial stage. The cause lies not in the United States, but in the Chinese leader who cannot wake up from the dream of a revolutionary armed struggle.
Hidetoshi Kaneko is a Mainichi Newspaper contributing editor.
The purpose of the bill was to abolish the "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong provided for in the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984. Legislative procedure rapidly progressed in the Standing Committee of the NPC, and the bill was passed on June 30. President Xi Jinping signed the enforcement order. At 11:00 p.m. on the same day, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced that the law had been enacted with “immediate effect".
One hour later, on July 1, it was the 23rd anniversary of return of Hong Kong amidst the 99th anniversary of the establishment of the Chinese Communist Party. Deng Xiaoping, China's supreme leader, had promised 50 years of “one country, two systems" to the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at their summit meeting, but this was suddenly cut by more than half. That was probably meant as a floral decoration to highlight the 99th anniversary of the establishment of the party.
In mid-May, Xu Zhangrun, Professor at Tsinghua University, who had been a severe critic of the dictatorship of Xi Jinping, wrote a piece heavily criticizing Xi’s coercive measures against the Coronavirus, and this piece of writing gained widespread popularity via SNS. I happened to read this after the Hong Kong National Security Law came into effect. As I saw the title "China, a Lone Ship of State on the Vast Ocean of Global Civilization", there were overlapping images in my eyes of the power which had made a desperate effort to hide the epidemic in China from the eyes of the world and of the power which rushed to rule Hong Kong ignoring worldwide concerns. The metaphor of "lone ship" is poignant. A small ship adrift with 1.4 billion people on board!
With the Hong Kong National Security Law in effect, China has now opened a law enforcement agency, the National Security Office, allowing the country to directly enforce Chinese law, enabling it to evade Hong Kong courts, and prosecute people from Hong Kong in mainland Chinese courts. The Chinese government is no longer bound by the "one country, two systems."
The "one country, two systems" policy written into the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration is the brainchild of Deng Xiaoping, who was the supreme leader of China at that time. China guaranteed that it would retain a British-style "rule of law" and social system for 50 years after retrieving Hong Kong's sovereignty. The Sino-British Joint Declaration was registered with the United Nations as a formal treaty.
However, President Xi Jinping at the 19th Communist Party Congress in 2017, declared that the "Deng Xiaoping era" had ended, and "Xi Jinping’s new era" had begun. As the supreme leader of the “Xi Jinping era" is President Xi, the policy of the "Deng Xiaoping era" was no longer valid. After that, Deng Xiaoping's “reform and open-door policy” was negated and the return to the "Mao Zedong era" began. However, if they dared to think that they can even break international promises, China would have to be prepared to become a “lone ship” adrift in the civilized world.
That said, the Xi administration did not invalidate the Sino-British Joint Statement on a whim. In 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly notified the British Foreign Office of the invalidation of the Sino-British Joint Statement. Nonetheless, the British government at that time invited Xi as a Guest of State, received investment in large-scale projects such as nuclear power generation and praised the “Golden Age” with China.
It is not someone else's problem either. In October 1978, Deng Xiaoping came to Japan to exchange the ratification documents for the Japan-China Peace and Amity Treaty and had a press conference at the Japan Press Club. Regarding the sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands, he said “we can put it on the shelf until we have a good idea which is acceptable to the both sides in the next generation". Now in the era of Xi Jinping, these words of Deng Xiaoping are no longer followed. President Xi’s postponed visit to Japan as a State Guest, if it had taken place as scheduled, would have been the dawn of the "Golden Age" between Japan and China, in which the agreement on the shelving of the Senkaku Islands issue would be invalidated.
At any rate who will be happy with the enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law? How is anyone in the world to be happy with the arrival of the Xi Jinping era? What is Xi thinking about? The answer finally came out of his own mouth. "Generational succession of revolutionary armed struggle"- China intends to continue its armed struggle until they rule the "community of common human destiny".
After the signing of the enforcement order of the Hong Kong National Security Law, the movement of Xi disappeared from the Chinese media for 20 days. During this period, Coronavirus infections recurred in northern China and southern China was hit by a major flood. However, Xi appeared on July 21 at the roundtable discussion of business executives held in Beijing.
The next day, he visited Jilin Province in the opposite direction of the flood-stricken area. In addition to visiting the Air Force School and an automobile company, he made a speech at the Siping Battle Memorial Hall of the People's Liberation War. "(The battle between the Communist Party army and the Nationalist Party army was) only one battle in the process of revolutionary armed struggle." He also added, "The great undertaking of socialism will be handed down from generation to generation."
What Xi is thinking of is the succession of this "liberation war," which was not completed in his father’s generation. Following the Hong Kong National Security Law, he may well be programing in his mind "armed liberation" of Taiwan, "anti-US, pro-North Korea war" on the Korean Peninsula, or even the “liberation of Ryukyu liberation".
The day after Xi’s speech in Jillin, US Secretary of State Pompeo declared the Xi regime as that of a "bankrupt totalitarian ideology" and stated that they would abandon the old paradigm of blind engagement with China. The confrontation between China and the United States has come to a crucial stage. The cause lies not in the United States, but in the Chinese leader who cannot wake up from the dream of a revolutionary armed struggle.
Hidetoshi Kaneko is a Mainichi Newspaper contributing editor.
The English-Speaking Union of Japan
香港対応で孤立した中国
金子 秀敏 / ジャーナリスト
2020年 8月 28日
新型コロナウイルスの感染爆発で延期されていた中国の全国人民代表代表大会（ＮＰＣ）が５月開かれ、香港特別行政区に中国本土の治安維持法制を適用する「香港国家安全維持法」（香港国安法）の案文を承認した。
法案の目的は中英共同声明で定める香港の「１国２制度」の廃止だった。立法手続きはＮＰＣの常務委員会で急進行し、６月30日に成立、習近平国家主席が施行令に署名した。同日夜11時、香港特区政府は同法が「即日施行」したと声明を出した。
その１時間後は香港返還23周年であり中国共産党創建99周年である７月１日。中国の最高指導者である鄧小平が英国首相サッチャーに首脳会談で約束した「50年間の１国２制度」を、半分以上切り詰めた。それが党創建99年を飾る花飾りなのだろう。
５月中旬、習近平主席の独裁政治を厳しく批判してきた許章潤・清華大学教授が、習政権の強権的新型コロナ対策を痛烈に批判する文章を書き、SNSで広まっていた。たまたま香港国安法の発効後、その文章を読んだ。「世界文明という大洋上の中国という孤舟」（China, a Lone Ship of State on the Vast Ocean of Global Civilisation）というタイトルを見て、世界の目から中国の疫情を隠蔽しようと狂奔する権力の姿と、世界の懸念を無視して香港支配に突き進んだ権力の姿が重なった。「孤舟」という比喩が印象的だ。14億の人間を乗せ、針路なく漂う小舟。
香港国安法が施行され、中国は香港に法執行機関「国家安全維持公署」（国安公署）を置き、中国法を直接執行できることになり、香港の裁判所を避けて、中国本土の裁判所に起訴することも可能になった。中国政府はもう「１国２制度」に縛られなくなった。
１９８４年の中英共同宣言に書かれた「１国２制度」は当時、中国の最高指導者だった鄧小平の言葉だ。中国は香港の主権を回収した後も50年間、英国式の「法の支配」と社会制度を残すと保証した。中英共同宣言は、正式の条約として国連に登録されている。
ところが、習近平主席は２０１７年の第19回共産党大会で、「鄧小平時代」が終わり「習近平の新時代」が始まったと宣言した。「習近平時代」の最高指導者は習主席だから「鄧小平時代」の政策は無効になる。以後、鄧小平の「改革開放政策」の否定、「毛沢東時代」への回帰が始まった。だが、国際約束まで反故にできると考えたら、中国は文明世界の中の孤舟になる覚悟がいるだろう。
ただし、習政権は思いつきで中英共同声明を無効としたわけではない。報道によれば、２０１５年、中国外務省は英国外務省に中英共同声明の無効を通知している。にもかかわらず当時の英国政府は習主席を国賓として招待し、原発など大型プロジェクトの投資を得て、中国との「黄金時代」礼賛していた。
他人事ではない。１９７８年10月、日中平和友好条約の批准書交換のために来日した鄧小平は日本記者クラブで記者会見し、尖閣諸島の領有権について「次の世代に双方が受け入れられるいい知恵がでるまで棚上げにしていい」と語った。この鄧小平の言葉が習近平時代の今、守られていない。延期になった習主席の国賓訪日は、もし実現していたら尖閣諸島の棚上げ合意を無効とする、日中「黄金時代」の幕開けだったろう。
それにしても、香港国安法の制定で誰が幸せになるのだろうか。習近平時代の到来で世界中の誰が幸せになるのか。習主席は何を考えているのか。その答えが本人の口からやっと出た。「革命武装闘争の世代継承」――中国が「人類運命共同体」を支配するまで、武力闘争を続けるつもりだ。
香港国安法施行令に署名後、習主席の動静は20日間、中国メディアから消えた。この間、中国北部では新型コロナの感染が再発し、南部では大洪水が起きていた。だが７月21日、習主席が姿を見せたのは北京の企業経営者座談会だった。
翌日、習主席は洪水被災地とは逆方向の吉林省を視察した。空軍学校や自動車会社を視察したほか、「人民解放戦争」（国共内戦）の四平戦役記念館で演説した。「（共産党軍と国民党軍の戦闘は）革命武装闘争過程における一戦にすぎない」「社会主義の偉大な事業を世代から世代へ継承していく」
習主席の頭にあるのは、父親の代に未完に終わった「解放戦争」の継承なのだ。香港国安法の次は台湾の「武装解放」や朝鮮半島の「抗米援朝戦争」、あるいは「琉球解放」もプログラミングされているかもしれない。
吉林演説の翌日、米国のポンペオ国務長官が習政権を「失敗した全体主義」と断定し、これまでの宥和的な「対中関与政策」を放棄すると声明した。中国と米国の対立は決定的になった。原因は米国より、革命武装闘争の夢から醒めない中国の指導者にある。
筆者は毎日新聞客員編集委員
法案の目的は中英共同声明で定める香港の「１国２制度」の廃止だった。立法手続きはＮＰＣの常務委員会で急進行し、６月30日に成立、習近平国家主席が施行令に署名した。同日夜11時、香港特区政府は同法が「即日施行」したと声明を出した。
その１時間後は香港返還23周年であり中国共産党創建99周年である７月１日。中国の最高指導者である鄧小平が英国首相サッチャーに首脳会談で約束した「50年間の１国２制度」を、半分以上切り詰めた。それが党創建99年を飾る花飾りなのだろう。
５月中旬、習近平主席の独裁政治を厳しく批判してきた許章潤・清華大学教授が、習政権の強権的新型コロナ対策を痛烈に批判する文章を書き、SNSで広まっていた。たまたま香港国安法の発効後、その文章を読んだ。「世界文明という大洋上の中国という孤舟」（China, a Lone Ship of State on the Vast Ocean of Global Civilisation）というタイトルを見て、世界の目から中国の疫情を隠蔽しようと狂奔する権力の姿と、世界の懸念を無視して香港支配に突き進んだ権力の姿が重なった。「孤舟」という比喩が印象的だ。14億の人間を乗せ、針路なく漂う小舟。
香港国安法が施行され、中国は香港に法執行機関「国家安全維持公署」（国安公署）を置き、中国法を直接執行できることになり、香港の裁判所を避けて、中国本土の裁判所に起訴することも可能になった。中国政府はもう「１国２制度」に縛られなくなった。
１９８４年の中英共同宣言に書かれた「１国２制度」は当時、中国の最高指導者だった鄧小平の言葉だ。中国は香港の主権を回収した後も50年間、英国式の「法の支配」と社会制度を残すと保証した。中英共同宣言は、正式の条約として国連に登録されている。
ところが、習近平主席は２０１７年の第19回共産党大会で、「鄧小平時代」が終わり「習近平の新時代」が始まったと宣言した。「習近平時代」の最高指導者は習主席だから「鄧小平時代」の政策は無効になる。以後、鄧小平の「改革開放政策」の否定、「毛沢東時代」への回帰が始まった。だが、国際約束まで反故にできると考えたら、中国は文明世界の中の孤舟になる覚悟がいるだろう。
ただし、習政権は思いつきで中英共同声明を無効としたわけではない。報道によれば、２０１５年、中国外務省は英国外務省に中英共同声明の無効を通知している。にもかかわらず当時の英国政府は習主席を国賓として招待し、原発など大型プロジェクトの投資を得て、中国との「黄金時代」礼賛していた。
他人事ではない。１９７８年10月、日中平和友好条約の批准書交換のために来日した鄧小平は日本記者クラブで記者会見し、尖閣諸島の領有権について「次の世代に双方が受け入れられるいい知恵がでるまで棚上げにしていい」と語った。この鄧小平の言葉が習近平時代の今、守られていない。延期になった習主席の国賓訪日は、もし実現していたら尖閣諸島の棚上げ合意を無効とする、日中「黄金時代」の幕開けだったろう。
それにしても、香港国安法の制定で誰が幸せになるのだろうか。習近平時代の到来で世界中の誰が幸せになるのか。習主席は何を考えているのか。その答えが本人の口からやっと出た。「革命武装闘争の世代継承」――中国が「人類運命共同体」を支配するまで、武力闘争を続けるつもりだ。
香港国安法施行令に署名後、習主席の動静は20日間、中国メディアから消えた。この間、中国北部では新型コロナの感染が再発し、南部では大洪水が起きていた。だが７月21日、習主席が姿を見せたのは北京の企業経営者座談会だった。
翌日、習主席は洪水被災地とは逆方向の吉林省を視察した。空軍学校や自動車会社を視察したほか、「人民解放戦争」（国共内戦）の四平戦役記念館で演説した。「（共産党軍と国民党軍の戦闘は）革命武装闘争過程における一戦にすぎない」「社会主義の偉大な事業を世代から世代へ継承していく」
習主席の頭にあるのは、父親の代に未完に終わった「解放戦争」の継承なのだ。香港国安法の次は台湾の「武装解放」や朝鮮半島の「抗米援朝戦争」、あるいは「琉球解放」もプログラミングされているかもしれない。
吉林演説の翌日、米国のポンペオ国務長官が習政権を「失敗した全体主義」と断定し、これまでの宥和的な「対中関与政策」を放棄すると声明した。中国と米国の対立は決定的になった。原因は米国より、革命武装闘争の夢から醒めない中国の指導者にある。
筆者は毎日新聞客員編集委員
一般社団法人 日本英語交流連盟