温首相尖閣発言 「核心的利益」は穏やかでない

The Yomiuri Shimbun (May. 17, 2012)
Wen's 'core interests' remark over Senkakus a cause for concern
温首相尖閣発言　「核心的利益」は穏やかでない（5月16日付・読売社説）

China is reinforcing its hard-line stance over the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture against a backdrop of swelling military strength and economic wealth.
　沖縄県の尖閣諸島を巡り、膨張する軍事力と経済力を背景に中国の強硬姿勢が目立ってきた。

During a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in Beijing on Sunday, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao reportedly mentioned the issues of the island chain, along with the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where there is an ongoing separatist movement. Wen reportedly stressed that it is important for Japan to respect "China's core interests and major concerns."
　北京で行われた日中首脳会談で温家宝首相は、分離独立運動が続く新疆ウイグル自治区とともに尖閣諸島に言及し、「中国の核心的利益と重大な関心事項を尊重するということが大事だ」と強調した。

China uses "core interests" to describe national sovereignty, maintenance of territorial integrity and other areas over which it will make no compromise at any price. Beijing has applied the expression to Taiwan, Tibet and the Uygur region before, but in recent years, it has reportedly used the term in regard to the South China Sea.
　「核心的利益」とは中国が絶対に譲歩できない国家主権や領土保全などに用いる言葉だ。これまで台湾やチベット、ウイグルなどに使ってきたが、近年は南シナ海にも使用しているとされる。

The Chinese government has never officially used the expression for the Senkaku Islands. However, the People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, used "core interests" in connection with the islands for the first time in January this year.
　中国政府は、この表現を尖閣諸島に公式に使った例はない。だが、今年１月、共産党機関紙「人民日報」が、初めて使用した。

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Semantic tactic

Wen is thought to have used "core interests" and "major concerns" together in referring to the Senkaku Islands so that his remark could be taken to mean the islets are part of China's core interests.
　温首相の今回の発言は、「核心的利益」と「重大な関心事項」をひとくくりにすることで、尖閣諸島が「核心的利益」とも読み取れるように意図したものだろう。

In making the remark, the Chinese premier seems to have been thinking of the Chinese public's negative reaction to recent developments over the Senkakus--Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's announcement that his government plans to purchase part of the islands and the Japanese government's decision to give names to four uninhabited islets of the chain.
　尖閣諸島に関し、東京都の石原慎太郎知事の買い取り構想や日本政府による無人島命名に、中国国内で反発が広がった。そのことが念頭にあるようだ。

Wen's remark can be seen as a reflection of the Chinese government's increasingly assertive stance in claiming sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands as Beijing tries to expand its maritime interests.
　海洋権益の拡大を図る中国政府が、従来以上に領有権を主張する方針を鮮明にしたと言える。

China demonstrates its presence by sending fishery patrol vessels to waters near the islands almost every month. Japan should further reinforce its surveillance arrangements for the nation's remote islands and territorial waters.
　中国の監視船は毎月のように尖閣諸島周辺で示威行動に出ている。日本は離島と領海の監視体制を一段と強化する必要がある。

It is natural for Noda to remind Wen that the Senkaku Islands are part of Japan's sovereign territory and call for self-restraint on China's part, saying, "China's stepped-up activities [around the islands] are upsetting the Japanese public."
　野田首相が温首相に、尖閣諸島が日本固有の領土であると主張し、「中国の活動の活発化が日本国民の感情を刺激している」と、自制を求めたのは当然である。

At the same time, it is regrettable that China refused Japan's request for a one-on-one meeting between Noda and Chinese President Hu Jintao. The rebuff was apparently a signal of China's dissatisfaction over not only the Senkaku issue, but also Japan's issuance of visas to Uygurs exiled from the autonomous region to attend an international assembly being held in Tokyo.
　中国側の意向で、胡錦濤国家主席と野田首相との個別会談が見送られたのも問題だ。尖閣に加え、東京での国際会議に出席する亡命ウイグル人にビザを発給したことへの不満の表明とみられる。

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Many pending issues

Japan and China, which mark the 40th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations this year, face a pile of pending issues.
　国交正常化４０周年を迎えた日中間に懸案は山積している。

Despite Japan's repeated requests, China has not agreed to resume negotiations on joint development of gas fields in the East China Sea since the 2010 collision of a Chinese trawler with Japan Coast Guard vessels off the Senkaku Islands.
東シナ海のガス田開発に関する交渉は一昨年の尖閣諸島沖の中国漁船衝突事件以来、日本の再三の要請にもかかわらず、開かれていない。

Also dubious was China's stance over North Korea's nuclear activities when the leaders of Japan, China and South Korea held summit talks Sunday. A joint declaration was initially scheduled to be released in tandem with the meeting, but it was not unveiled until the following day--and then it did not refer to North Korea at all.
　北朝鮮の核問題でも、中国の対応には疑問が残った。日中韓首脳会談に合わせ発表される予定だった共同宣言は、１日遅れの発表となり、肝心の北朝鮮については一切言及しなかった。

The delay was reportedly caused by China, which seemed reluctant to produce a document that would urge North Korea to exercise the self-restraint not to carry out a new nuclear test or other provocative actions because it wanted to avoid angering Pyongyang.
　北朝鮮を刺激したくない中国が、核実験などの自制を促す内容を盛り込むことに反対する姿勢を崩さなかったのが原因だ。

Considering such a stance, it is only natural to question whether China has a will to prevent North Korea from conducting a nuclear test.
　これでは、中国に北朝鮮の核実験を阻止する意思があるのかと疑われても仕方あるまい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 16, 2012)
（2012年5月16日01時28分 読売新聞）