平和賞―中国は背を向けるな

2010/10/11
--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 9
EDITORIAL: Nobel Peace Prize
平和賞―中国は背を向けるな

A strong message has been delivered to China's political leaders, who have shown little, if any, respect for democracy or human rights while their country has been accomplishing amazing economic growth.
　驚異的な経済発展とは裏腹に、民主主義や人権を大切にしてこなかった中国の指導者に、痛烈なメッセージが突きつけられた。

The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Liu Xiaobo, a jailed Chinese writer and pro-democracy activist.
　中国の民主活動家で作家の劉暁波氏に、ノーベル平和賞が授与されることになった。

Since he was involved in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, Liu has been consistently and passionately fighting for democracy in China. Liu has expressed his opinions in writing and spoken up without using violence or other radical means.
１９８９年の天安門民主化運動にかかわり、それ以来暴力など過激な手段を使わず、言論活動一筋に民主化を求めてきた人物だ。

The Norwegian Nobel Committee highly praised his peaceful struggle.
　ノルウェーのノーベル賞委員会は、こうした活動を高く評価した。

At the end of 2008, the year of the Beijing Summer Olympics, Liu drafted "Charter 08," a manifesto calling for fundamental reforms for democracy that would ultimately end the Communist Party's monopoly on power. This and his criticism against the party and its leaders earned him an 11-year jail sentence for "inciting subversion of state power."
　北京五輪のあった２００８年暮れ、劉氏は共産党独裁の廃止など根本的な民主化を訴える「０８憲章」を起草した。そのことと党や指導者に対する批判が、「国家政権転覆扇動罪」に問われて懲役１１年の判決を受けた。

Liu is now in prison in northeast Liaoning province.
今は東北部の遼寧省で獄中にある。

It is not clear whether Liu even knows yet that he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Many Chinese citizens probably are still unaware of the fact because of the media blackout imposed by the authorities.
　劉氏が平和賞の知らせを聞くことができたかは定かでない。少なからぬ国民も、当局による報道規制のために知らずにいるかもしれない。

But the news will spread, sooner or later. And it will provide a big morale boost to other Chinese activists who have been struggling, along with Liu, to give their country democratic freedoms.
しかし早晩、授賞の知らせは中国で広がり、劉氏らとともに民主化につとめてきた人々への大きな励ましとなるだろう。

Beijing warned the Nobel committee that awarding the peace prize to a dissident like Liu would be regarded as an unfriendly act, according to the committee.
　ノーベル賞委員会によれば、中国当局は「反体制派への授与は非友好的な行為と見なされる」と警告していたという。

If so, China again acted in a high-handed manner that apparently reflects the growing sentiment that it is now a major power fueled by its rapid economic growth and military buildup.
だとすれば、急成長する経済や軍事力の増強による「大国意識」を背景にした強権的な一面が、ここでも表れたといえる。

We applaud the Nobel committee for not giving in to pressure from China.
　しかし、委員会は中国側の圧力に屈しなかった。高く評価したい。

The committee chastised the Chinese authorities for violating international conventions approving peaceful expressions of political beliefs to which Beijing is a party, as well as the country's own constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and other human rights. It pointed out that China now must accept greater responsibility.
　中国当局は、政治的信条の平和的な表現を認める、自らも署名した国際規約に反し、言論の自由などをうたった中国憲法にも反している。委員会はそう厳しく批判し、中国の責任の大きさを指摘した。

China's behavior concerning the collisions between a Chinese trawler and Japan Coast Guard patrol vessels near the Senkaku Islands and the actions it took against Vietnamese fishermen operating near disputed islands in the South China Sea have alarmed the international community and strengthened China's image as a country willing to ignore rules for the sake of its interests.
　尖閣諸島沖の衝突事件や南シナ海での行動は、中国がルールに従わない国という警戒感を国際社会に与えた。

As economic interdependence among countries has grown, the international community has been inclined to overlook China's trampling on universal values.
　経済の相互依存が強まるなかで、国際社会は中国による普遍的価値の侵害に目をつぶりがちだった。

The United States and Europe, which traditionally place great importance on human rights, have also been willing to turn a blind eye to Beijing's poor human rights record to keep relations with the rising economic power on friendly terms. China also faced no harsh criticism at the recent Asia-Europe Meeting in Brussels.
人権問題を重視してきた欧米諸国も、最近は中国との関係維持を優先させていた。先のアジア欧州会議（ＡＳＥＭ）首脳会合でも厳しい注文はつけなかった。

The Nobel committee's decision to award the prestigious honor to a Chinese dissident should be taken seriously as a warning, especially to industrial nations.
　そうした風潮の中でのノーベル賞委員会の決定は、とりわけ先進国への警鐘として重く受けとめたい。

China's Foreign Ministry has criticized the committee's move, saying Liu violated Chinese law and his actions run counter to the spirit of the prize. The ministry also indicated that the decision would adversely affect ties with Norway.
　中国外務省は「劉暁波は中国の法律を犯しており、その行為は平和賞の趣旨に背いている」と批判し、ノルウェーとの関係悪化も示唆した。

There are concerns about the possibility that Beijing may tighten its crackdown on democracy advocates and other activists in China.
民主活動家らへの国内での締め付けが厳しくなることも心配だ。

Taking a hard-line posture both at home and abroad, however, will not serve China's interests.
　内外で強硬な姿勢をとることは、長い目で見て中国の利益にならないだろう。

Chinese leaders must realize now that their country will never be recognized as a legitimate world power unless they start respecting universal values.
経済発展を続けても、普遍的な価値を大切にしなければ真の大国として認められないことに、中国当局は早く気づかねばならない。