中国連続爆発 共産党統治への反発の表れか

The Yomiuri Shimbun November 10, 2013
Do Shanxi bombings reflect anger at Chinese Communist Party rule?
中国連続爆発　共産党統治への反発の表れか（11月9日付・読売社説）

Another violent incident has occurred in China, underscoring the seriousness of the social unrest in the country. Does this represent repugnance over the Communist Party’s rule?
　中国の社会不安の深刻さを裏付ける事件が、また発生した。共産党の統治に対する強い反発の表れだろうか。

A series of explosions occurred at the Communist Party’s provincial committee headquarters in the inland city of Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring eight others.
　内陸部にある山西省太原の省党委員会庁舎前で６日、連続爆発が起こり、１人が死亡し、８人が重軽傷を負った。

The provincial authorities have detained a 41-year-old Taiyuan resident. Handmade explosive devices and other material evidence were reportedly found at his home, but the background and motives behind the bombings are not yet known. The Communist Party’s provincial committees have supreme power in their respective provinces, and the Taiyuan incident apparently stunned the party.
　当局は、地元の４１歳の男を拘束した。自宅から手製の爆発装置などが見つかったという。背景や動機は不明だが、党委員会は地方で最高の権力を持つ組織だ。党にとって、衝撃的な事件と言える。

The latest incident came after a car crashed and exploded in flames in a deadly attack late last month in front of Tiananmen Gate in central Beijing, which features a huge portrait of Mao Zedong.
　先月末には、毛沢東の巨大な肖像が掲げられた、北京の天安門前に車が突入して炎上する事件が発生したばかりだ。

Investigative authorities determined that the attack was committed at the direction of an international terrorist organization. But there are strong suspicions among some people that the attack was committed by Uygurs with personal grudges against the Communist Party.
　当局は国際テロ組織の指示を受けた犯行と断定したが、党に個人的な恨みを持つウイグル族住民の仕業との見方も依然根強い。

Shanxi Province, where the latest incident took place, is known for its huge coal mining industry. Like other regions in China, the gap between rich and poor is wide.
　今回事件が起きた山西省は、石炭の大産地だ。中国の他地域と同様、貧富の格差が顕著である。

Mine operators are known for using their financial muscle to buy up real estate in such urban areas as Beijing and Shanghai. Corruption has long been said to involve officials with the power to grant mining rights.
　炭鉱経営者は、財力に物を言わせて、北京や上海などで不動産を買いあさることで有名だ。採掘許可権限を持つ当局者の腐敗も指摘されて久しい。

Many coal miners work in poor environments, and many of them are believed to have lost their jobs as coal prices have fallen due to the slowdown in economic growth in recent years.
　炭鉱労働者の多くは、劣悪な環境で働いている。近年の成長減速に伴う石炭価格下落により、職を失った者も多いとみられる。

Coal miners are not the only Chinese who are discontent. The petition counter at the provincial committee’s headquarters building, the scene of the latest incident, is said to be overflowing with petitions from residents protesting unfair court decisions and forcible expropriation of land.
　不満を抱いているのは、炭鉱労働者だけではない。事件のあった党委庁舎の陳情窓口には、不公正な司法や土地の強制収用に抗議する住民が殺到していたという。

In the eyes of workers and farmers, party leaders appear to be using their power to enrich themselves.
　労働者や農民には、党幹部が権力をかさに、私腹を肥やしているように見えるのではないか。

Huge number of protests

Public discontent against the Communist Party and the government has triggered numerous incidents in various parts of the country. According to some sources, there are about 180,000 mass protests a year.
　中国各地で、党や政府への民衆の不満が引き金となった事件が続発している。集団抗議行動は年間１８万件に上るとの情報もある。

In April, about 4,000 residents of Xiamen (Amoy) in Fujian Province stormed into the provincial government building to protest unfair land transactions by the authorities concerned. In August, about 10,000 residents of Guanxi Zhuang Autonomous Region clashed with police during a protest rally over deaths allegedly caused by the discharge of water at a dam.
　今年４月、福建省アモイでは、当局の土地不正取引に反対する住民約４０００人が政府庁舎に押しかけた。８月には、広西チワン族自治区で、ダムの放水で死者が出たとして住民約１万人が抗議、警官隊と衝突した。

To deal with these incidents, the administration of President Xi Jinping has ordered thorough implementation of antiterrorist measures. In line with this harsh approach, the president has inspected poor farming communities in an effort to show his concern for local residents. But it is open to question whether these efforts have had the desired results.
　こうした事態に対し、習近平政権は、「テロ対策」徹底を命じる一方、習国家主席自身が貧しい農村を視察するなど、硬軟両様の姿勢で臨んでいる。だが、成果が上がっているとは言えない。

The Xi administration, which will shortly enter its second year, opens the third plenary meeting of the Chinese Communist Party’s 18th Central Committee on Saturday. Focal points of discussion at the meeting will be economic structure reforms aimed at correcting the gap between rich and poor, among other issues.
　まもなく２年目に入る習政権は９日から、党の第１８期中央委員会第３回総会（３中総会）を開く。格差是正も視野に入れた経済構造改革などが焦点になるだろう。

Can China achieve stable growth while reining in public anxiety? The Xi government faces a difficult job steering the country.
　民衆の動揺を抑えつつ、安定成長を実現できるのか。習政権は、厳しい舵(かじ)取りを迫られている。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 9, 2013)
（2013年11月9日01時30分  読売新聞）