重慶トップ解任 次期体制作りへの権力闘争だ

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Mar. 17, 2012)
Downfall of Chongqing head a sign of China's power struggle
重慶トップ解任　次期体制作りへの権力闘争だ（3月16日付・読売社説）

On Thursday, the day after the close of the annual session of China's legislature, the National People's Congress, it was announced via the official Xinhua News Agency that Communist Party Politburo member Bo Xilai had been removed from his office as party secretary for Chongqing, the top post in the nation's most populous municipality.
　中国の全国人民代表大会（全人代＝国会）閉幕翌日の１５日、新華社通信が中国最大の都市・重慶市のトップ、薄煕来・共産党政治局員の市党委員会書記解任を報じた。

Bo, whose father was formerly a vice premier, is known as an influential leader among his fellow "princelings," children of past or current high-ranking party officials.
　元副首相を父に持つ薄氏は、党の高級幹部の子女グループ「太子党」の有力指導者だ。

In the past Bo had assumed such key posts as head of the northeastern province of Liaoning and commerce minister. He was therefore seen as a favorite for promotion to a seat on the Politburo's Standing Committee, China's highest decision-making body, at the National Congress of the Communist Party late this autumn.
東北部の遼寧省長や商務相などの要職を歴任し、今秋の共産党大会で政治局常務委員へ昇格して、最高指導部入りすると取り沙汰されていた。

Close attention should be paid to the impact of Bo's removal on the formulation of new leadership under Vice President Xi Jinping, another prominent princeling, who is expected to be elected to the posts of party general secretary and president.
　今回の人事が、同じ太子党の中心人物で、次の党総書記・国家主席に選出される予定の習近平国家副主席の体制作りに、どう影響するのかを注視したい。

The direct reason for Bo's axing is believed to be his supervisory responsibility for an incident in which his close associate, a former police chief of Chongqing, fled to the U.S. consulate in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, in early February and was then detained by state security officers.
　薄氏の解任は、直接的には、腹心の前公安局長が四川省成都市の米国総領事館に駆け込み、その後中国当局に拘束された事件で、監督責任を問われたといえる。

Bo had used the police chief to carry out a large-scale crackdown on organized crime in Chongqing. He attracted strong attention nationwide because of his anticorruption stance, relentlessly punishing high-ranking officials of Chongqing's Public Security Bureau and others for their cozy relations with the city's gangs.
　この腹心を使って、薄氏は重慶で、組織暴力団の大々的な摘発を行った。暴力団と癒着していた公安局幹部ら当局者も容赦せず、腐敗一掃に取り組む姿勢が全国的に注目を集めていた。

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Echoes of historic conflict?

It was rumored, however, that his drives against organized crime and corruption were motivated chiefly by his desire to oust his political rivals under the guise of eradicating corruption. Bo's high-handed political style also reportedly provoked adverse reactions from within the leadership of President Hu Jintao.
　だが、汚職根絶を口実にした政敵の追い落としではないかとのうわさや、薄氏の強引ともいわれる政治手法が、胡錦濤政権内で反発を招いていたとされる。

Premier Wen Jiabao, in a press conference at the end of the latest National People's Congress, made reference to the Chongquing incident, noting, "Lessons must be drawn seriously," hinting that Bo would be responsible.
　温家宝首相は、全人代の閉幕にあたっての記者会見で重慶事件に触れ、「真剣に事件の教訓をくみ取るべきだ」と、薄氏の責任を追及する姿勢を見せていた。

Wen went on to say, "Without reform of the political system, there will be no prospect for thorough reform of the economic system, possibly creating the danger of a recurrence of a historic tragedy like the Cultural Revolution."
　温首相は「政治体制改革の成功がなければ、経済体制改革も徹底できず、文化大革命のような歴史的悲劇が再び起きる恐れもある」とも語った。

Although what Wen meant to convey by such remarks is not yet clear, it was extraordinary for the premier to refer to the days of the Cultural Revolution.
真意は不明だが、文革への言及は極めて異例だ。

This could indicate signs are emerging of a power struggle within the party leadership, somewhat similar to the days of the Cultural Revolution. Ahead of the transition in which the makeup of China's top leadership will be reconfigured at the coming party convention, backstage maneuvering between princelings and such factions as the Communist Youth League, led by President Hu, may be under way. There may also be a schism among the princelings themselves.
　当時のような権力闘争の兆しが党指導部にあることをうかがわせる。指導部が入れ替わる党大会を前に、胡総書記率いる「共産主義青年団」派と太子党などの駆け引きがあるのだろう。太子党内の対立といった側面もある。

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Mountain of hard tasks

At the threshold of an important generational changeover in China's leadership, the latest session of the National People's Congress approved lowering the country's growth target to 7.5 percent from a longstanding annual growth goal of 8 percent, signifying that China is now in favor of shifting its key economic policy away from continuation of high growth to balanced, sustainable growth.
　世代交代の重要な転換期にあたり、今回の全人代では、経済成長率目標を従来の８％から７・５％へと引き下げ、高度成長から安定成長路線へとかじを切った。

From the standpoint of Japan, it is definitely desirable to see the Chinese economy maintain growth and achieve stability without losing steam.
　日本にとっても、中国経済が失速せず成長を維持し、安定することが望ましい。

Difficulties in China's domestic politics, however, have kept deepening, including widening disparities between rich and poor.
　だが、貧富の格差の拡大をはじめ内政の困難さは増す一方である。

The Chinese administration has been narrowly managing to suppress the violent upheaval that has frequently broken out in various regions of the country.
各地で多発する暴動を政権は力で抑え込んでいるのが現状だ。

How should Beijing build a framework conducive to pushing ahead with its political and economic reform tasks?
政治や経済の改革を推進するための体制をどう構築するのか。

This is the challenge of utmost significance that must be addressed by China's new leadership to be headed by Xi.
それが習氏の直面する重い課題だ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 16, 2012)
（2012年3月16日01時22分 読売新聞）