薄煕来被告公判 中国権力闘争の危険な火種だ

The Yomiuri Shimbun August 28, 2013
Bo trial may become genesis of power struggle in China
薄煕来被告公判　中国権力闘争の危険な火種だ（8月27日付・読売社説）

The administration of Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping has faced a problem, the settlement of which can never be forgotten in consolidating Xi’s power base.
　中国の習近平・共産党総書記が権力基盤を固める上で、この問題の決着は避けて通れない。

Of course, we are speaking of the case in which Bo Xilai, the former top official of the southwestern megacity of Chongqing and former member of the Communist Party’s Politburo, was charged with bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.
　収賄、横領、職権乱用罪に問われた重慶市党委員会元トップ、薄煕来・元党政治局員の事件のことだ。

In the public hearing of the case held in Shandong Province, Bo thoroughly dismissed all accusations, bringing the five-day trial to an end on Monday, and maintaining his showdown with the Xi administration.
　山東省で開かれたその公判は、薄被告がすべての罪を全面否認し、習政権と真正面から対決する姿勢を崩さぬままに結審した。

The Xi administration, having made a crackdown on corruption a focus of its first year, appears to be attempting to condemn Bo as the embodiment of corruption.
　習政権は腐敗撲滅を強調しており、薄被告を腐敗の象徴として断罪する思惑があったのだろう。

In China’s one-party system the judiciary is controlled by the Communist Party.
　一党独裁体制の中国では、司法も共産党の指導下にある。

The first public hearing of the Bo trial was set following a key conference this summer of party elders, following Xi’s official inauguration in March.
初公判は、習指導部が正式に発足した後、党長老らも加わる夏の重要会議の終了を待って設定された。

Apparently in a bid to emphasize the “fairness” of the trial, Beijing took the extraordinary step of allowing the court proceedings to be reported live on China’s Weibo microblogging service.
　審理の模様を中国版ツイッターで中継する異例の対応をとり、「公正」さもアピールした。

The trial, in the eyes of the Xi administration, should have been a scrupulously prepared “political show.”
　裁判は、周到に準備した「政治ショー」のはずだった。

In the public hearing, however, Bo, who had admitted his culpability on some of the charges during investigations by the Communist Party, changed his stance. A factor behind this may be the strong support for Bo that remains among left-wingers within the Communist Party.
　ところが、党の取り調べで一部容疑を認めていた薄被告は、態度を一変させた。背景には、党内左派の強い支持があろう。

The development may be a major miscalculation by Xi, who appeared to have intended to use the trial to unify different views in the party by making clear Bo’s malfeasance in going against the party leadership.
　党指導部に逆らった薄被告の罪を、裁判で明確にすることによって、党内意思を統一しようとした習氏には誤算だったと言える。

Indignation over disparity

Bo used to be an influential figure among the “princelings,” as high-ranking party officials’ offspring are known. When he was the party secretary in the top post in Chongqing, he achieved fame through such acts as cracking down on the city’s business leaders and branding them “crime syndicate members.” He also used public money to provide the poor with low-priced housing.
　薄被告は高級幹部の子女グループ「太子党」の有力者だった。重慶市トップの書記時代には、経済人らに「暴力団」のレッテルを貼って弾圧する一方、低価格の住宅提供など弱者対策に公金を投入して、一躍、人気を博した。

His apparent goal was to assume one of the seats on the ruling Communist Party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee. Bo’s political style is designed to appeal to the masses who are indignant at economic disparities between rich and poor and at how those with power are able to obtain spoils of office and wealth. His ideas however, came to be seen at odds with the government, resulting in a conflict with the then administration of Hu Jintao.
　狙いは、党最高指導部の政治局常務委員になることだった。だが、権力者が利権と富を支配する格差社会に憤る大衆の歓心を買う政治手法は、政権批判とみなされ、当時の胡錦濤政権と対立した。

Bo himself is far from being called a person of integrity.
　薄被告も清廉潔白には程遠い。

In the wake of an incident in which his close associate ran into the U.S. consulate general in Chengdu in February 2012 in a defection attempt, a case in which Bo’s wife allegedly murdered a British businessman was brought to light. The incidents demonstrated the corruption-prone propensities of the China’s ruling class.
側近が米総領事館に駆け込んだ事件を契機に、妻の英国人殺害事件も発覚した。中国権力層の利権絡みの乱脈ぶりを示すものだ。

However, people are supporting Bo on China’s Internet. This can be considered representing the reality of China, where discontent over disparities has been smoldering across the country.
　にもかかわらず、ネット上では薄被告支持の声が相次いでいる。社会全体に経済格差への不満がくすぶる実情の表れとも言える。

Bo is almost certain to be subject to heavy punishment. The Xi administration, however, appears to fear public criticism if the punishment is deemed too lenient or too harsh. This is because the political style taken by Xi is similar to that of Bo.
　薄被告の重刑は避けられまい。ただ、量刑が軽すぎても重すぎても政権批判を招く恐れがある。習氏も同様の政治手法をとっているからだ。

A mistake in dealing with the situation could lead to a full-scale power struggle in China.
対応の誤りは、権力闘争の本格化に直結しかねない。

Confusion in China’s political arena could have major consequences and possibly destabilize the global economy. We are concerned the Xi administration, in an attempt at deflecting public dissatisfaction, might seek to strengthen its leadership by ratcheting up its intimidatory diplomatic approach to Japan.
　中国政治の混乱は、世界経済に大きな影響を及ぼす。国民の不満をかわし、求心力を強めようとして、習政権が日本への威圧外交を強める事態も懸念される。

We cannot help but keep a close watch on what consequences will eventually come from this trial.
　この裁判の帰趨(きすう)を注視しないわけにはいかない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 27, 2013)
（2013年8月27日02時03分  読売新聞）