英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun March 06, 2014
China’s blatant military buildup threatens peace in Asia-Pacific region
中国国防費膨張　平和を脅かす露骨な軍拡路線（3月6日付・読売社説）

In a bid for hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region, the administration of Chinese President Xi Jinping is rapidly proceeding with its military buildup. These moves are certain to reinforce the opinion that China may pose a great threat to other countries.
　アジア太平洋で覇権を握ろうと、中国の習近平政権が急速な軍備増強を進めている。中国脅威論にも拍車がかかろう。

The 12th National People’s Congress (NPC) began in Beijing on Wednesday, at which the Chinese government announced that its national defense spending for this year will total about 808.2 billion yuan (about \13 trillion), up 12.2 percent from last year.
　北京で全国人民代表大会が開幕した。中国政府が公表した今年の国防予算は、前年実績比１２・２％増の約８０８２億元（約１３兆円）となった。

This will mark the fourth consecutive year of a year-on-year double-digit increase, and bring China’s defense expenditures to nearly three times those of Japan.
４年連続２桁の伸びで、日本の防衛費の３倍近くに膨れあがった。

This is the first NPC to be held under the leadership of Xi and Premier Li Keqiang. It also can be said that the administration has bluntly indicated its intention of pursuing military buildup.
　今回は、習国家主席と李克強首相が主導する初めての全人代だ。軍備増強への意思を露骨なまでに示したと言える。

China’s national defense budget has become ever more opaque, as military spending by local governments, which had been included in the nation’s total military spending until last year, was excluded from this year’s outlay.
　中国の国防費は、一段と不透明になった。昨年まで含まれていた地方分予算が、今年は除外されたためだ。

The prevailing view is that actual defense spending, including expenditures on related research and development, will be double the amount made public.
研究開発費などを含めた実際の国防予算は、公表分の２倍程度に上るとの見方が強い。

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has indicated that Japan will urge China to enhance transparency in its military spending, saying that China’s military expenditures “have become a cause for concern for the international community.” Such a stance is quite reasonable.
　菅官房長官が、「国際社会の懸念事項になっている」として、中国に透明性の向上を働きかける意向を示したのは当然である。

In a government work report, which is equivalent to a policy speech in Japan, Li emphasized that China would “make great effort in the building of a maritime power.” He also said China would “place war preparations on a regular footing and enhance border, coastal and air defenses.”
　李首相は、施政方針演説にあたる政府活動報告で、「海洋強国の建設に大いに力を入れる」と強調した。「平時における戦闘への備えと、国境・領海・領空防衛の管理を強化する」とも宣言した。

Aggression may be prolonged

Such remarks can be interpreted as Beijing’s intention to expand its claimed national interests in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
　東シナ海や南シナ海で、権益拡大を図る意図が読み取れる。

Japan must be prepared for the possibility that China’s attempts to change the status quo through the use of force, such as China’s entry into Japan’s territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands, may last for an extended period. At the same time, it will become necessary for both countries to have a dialogue to avoid accidental clashes between vessels or aircraft.
　日本は、尖閣諸島周辺での領海侵入といった、中国の力による現状変更の試みが長期化することを覚悟せねばなるまい。同時に、艦船や航空機の偶発的衝突を避けるための対話も必要となろう。

Li said: “China will maintain the postwar international order at all costs. We will never let the course of history turn back.”
　一方、李首相は、「中国は、戦後の国際秩序を守り抜く。歴史の流れを逆行させることは、決して許さない」と述べた。

If this remark was made to criticize Japan in light of the recent visit to Yasukuni Shrine by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, it is widely off the mark. Rather it is China that has been rocking the postwar international order by taking such actions as its unilateral announcement of an air-defense identification zone in the East China Sea.
　安倍首相の靖国神社参拝を念頭に置いた日本批判だとしたら、見当違いだ。一方的な防空識別圏設定などで、戦後秩序を揺さぶっているのは、むしろ中国である。

Li’s report has also brought to the fore the country’s thorny management of its domestic affairs. In the report, the administration set the nation’s economic growth target for this year at 7.5 percent, unchanged for three years in a row. This demonstrates the administration’s stance of maintaining stable growth amid spreading concern over the nation’s future economic prospects.
　首相報告は、難しい内政運営も浮き彫りにした。今年の経済成長率の目標を、３年連続で７・５％に据え置いたのは、景気の先行きに不安が広がる中で、安定成長を維持したい姿勢の表れだ。

With regards to corruption, toward which the people harbor strong antipathy, Li said, “We would never pardon any corrupt elements.” As countermeasures to air pollution, he unveiled numerical targets for such measures as scrapping coal boilers. However, the degree to which the administration can achieve tangible results in such areas remains to be seen.
　国民の反感が強い汚職について「いかなる腐敗分子も容赦しない」と断じ、大気汚染対策では石炭ボイラー廃棄などの数値目標を示した。具体的成果が問われよう。

Social unrest is spreading, as demonstrated by the mass murder incident in Yunnan Province recently. Li indicated that the administration would further intensify public security measures.
　雲南省で無差別大量殺人事件が起こるなど、社会に動揺が広がっている。李首相は、治安対策をさらに強める考えを示した。

Tightening domestic security measures may lead to the administration’s taking a hard-line stance toward foreign countries in an attempt to divert public frustration. Japan, for its part, has to keep a close watch on such moves.
　国内での引き締めは、国民の不満をそらすための対外強硬姿勢につながりやすい。日本も、その動きを注視しなければならない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 6, 2014)
（2014年3月6日02時01分 読売新聞）