Praising Xi's Leadership on Development & Security - Zhang Weiwei on West's Human Rights Limitations - Zhong Sheng: Japan Acting as US 'Vassal' - Wang-Baerbock Chat - Lashing Out at NATO
Here are the stories and pieces that I found noteworthy in the Wednesday, May 25, 2022, edition of the People’s Daily.
Page 1: At the top of the page is a story about Xi Jinping’s letter to his “old friend” Sarah Lande, from Iowa. Xinhua reports that in the letter, Xi wrote:
“The Chinese and American people are both great people, Xi said, adding that their friendship is not only a valuable asset, but also an important foundation for the development of bilateral relations. The Chinese people are ready to keep on joining the American people in strengthening friendly exchanges, pushing forward mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly promoting the well-being of the two people, Xi said.”
Next, there’s a long review story offering a positive appraisal of Xi Jinping’s leadership in promoting high-quality development and high-level security. Quick thought: This is an interesting piece in that it is Xi Jinping essentially stamping his ownership over the current policy direction, whether with regard to COVID or the economy.
The article says that: Xi Jinping has “profound insight into the development trend of the times, has accurately grasped the historical development trend, and emphasised the need to ‘adhere to a balance between development and security, attach equal importance to development and security, and achieve a sound interaction between high-quality development and high-level security’. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, hundreds of millions of people have worked together to overcome difficulties, promoted a dynamic balance between high-quality development and high-level security, and declared to the world with a firm steps towards great the rejuvenation: ‘China's economic development will have an even brighter future’!” 总书记深刻洞察时代发展大势，准确把握历史发展趋势，强调要“坚持统筹发展和安全，坚持发展和安全并重，实现高质量发展和高水平安全的良性互动”。在以同志为核心的党中央坚强领导下，亿万人民团结奋发、攻坚克难，推动高质量发展和高水平安全动态平衡，以迈向伟大复兴的坚定步伐向世界宣示：“中国经济发展前景一定会更加光明”！
The first section of the article lists Xi’s comments on COVID containment since March. It says that Xi personally commanded, coordinated the overall situation, took key decisions, made a series of important instructions at critical moments, and led the whole country to make concerted efforts to overcome the difficulties” related to the outbreak. 习近平总书记亲自指挥，统筹全局，果断决策，在关键时刻作出一系列重要指示，引领全国上下勠力同心、攻坚克难.
After listing Xi’s remarks from March 5 (NPC session) and 17th (PSC meeting), April 13 (Hainan visit) and 29th (Politburo meeting) and May 5 (PSC meeting), the piece says that:
“On March 20th, Shenzhen realised the dynamic clearing across the society; On April 14, Jilin Province realised social clearing; On May 17th, 16 districts in Shanghai realised social clearing; Beijing will speed up the realisation of social clearing by making it fast…so far, epidemic prevention and control has achieved phased results.” 3月20日，深圳基本实现社会面动态清零；4月14日，吉林省实现社会面清零；5月17日，上海全市16个区实现社会面清零；北京以快制快，加快实现社会面清零……目前，疫情防控已取得阶段性成效.
“At the same time, measures to stabilise the economy and ensure development and security were vigorously promoted. The implementation of the seven major policies determined by the Central Economic Work Conference last year have been accelerated…In the first quarter, China’s economy grew by 4.8% year-on-year; it was not easy to get off to a steady start. Although the growth rate has slowed down, the main economic indicators in the first four months have maintained growth, and the overall economic and social situation has been stable…In coordinating epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development, General Secretary Xi Jinping has always focused on the long-term perspective, thinking and planning around achieving a dynamic balance between promoting high-quality development and high-level safety.” 与此同时，稳经济、保发展安全的措施大力推进。去年中央经济工作会议确定的七大政策加快落地...一季度中国经济同比增长4.8%，平稳开局殊为不易。尽管增速放缓，前4个月累计主要经济指标保持增长，经济社会大局稳定;...在统筹好疫情防控和经济社会发展中，习近平总书记始终着眼长远，围绕推动高质量发展和高水平安全动态平衡思考和布局。
The examples given are the guidelines on building a unified national market and focussing on infrastructure development.
The second section of the article talks about maintaining food and energy security and ensuring technological self-reliance. The focus is on Xi’s comments and policies around these. For instance, the piece talks about the provision of subsidies for grain producers, the focus on maintaining grain output at 1.3 trillion catties (around 860 million tons), and ensuring that planting takes place as planned.
On energy security, the piece talks about work being done to maintain steady supply and stable prices of energy. It says that China will add 300 million tons of coal production capacity this year–今年新增煤炭产能3亿吨. “All import taxes on coal for the 2022-23 financial year have been cut to zero. In the first quarter of this year, the output of raw coal, crude oil and natural gas in China increased by 10.3%, 4.4% and 6.6%, respectively, year-on-year, and the newly installed capacity of renewable energy was 25.41 million kilowatts, accounting for 80% of the newly-installed power generation capacity in China. The problem of energy supply constraints has obviously eased.” 积极用好国际市场，自2022年5月1日至2023年3月31日，对所有煤炭实施税率为零的进口暂定税率……今年一季度，全国原煤、原油、天然气产量同比分别增长10.3%、4.4%、6.6%，可再生能源新增装机2541万千瓦、占全国新增发电装机的80%。能源供给制约问题明显缓解.
On science and technology, the piece says that “the competition around the commanding heights of science and technology is unprecedentedly fierce. This largely focuses on core technologies, and says that “only by mastering the core technologies in our own hands can we truly grasp the initiative of competition and development and fundamentally guarantee the national economic security.” 只有把核心技术掌握在自己手中, 才能真正掌握竞争和发展的主动权，才能从根本上保障国家经济安全.
The third section talks about the emphasis on major infrastructure projects. These include the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, the Sichuan-Tibet Railway, and Hainan Free Trade Port. The piece then talks about the April 26, Central Financial and Economic Commission meeting, which focused on infrastructure as “an important support for economic and social development.” Then the piece talks about the April 29 Politburo meeting, which it says called for “comprehensively strengthening infrastructure construction.” This includes network infrastructure, the transportation network, industrial upgrading infrastructure, urban, agricultural and rural infrastructure, and national security infrastructure.
The article adds that “the construction of 102 major projects in the 14th FYP period is being accelerated. Already these have been broken down into around 2,600 projects, which have been initiated and are being implemented in a steady manner; this year, the national investment in water conservancy construction is expected to be about 800 billion yuan, with 195.8 billion yuan spent in the first four months, an increase of 45.5% over the same period of last year. From January to April, the total investment in fixed assets of national railways was 157.46 billion yuan...in the first quarter of this year, 134,000 new 5G base stations were added, taking the total number of base stations to 1.559 million…there are 2,400 5G+ industrial Internet projects under construction nationwide…” 一边补短板强弱项——“十四五”规划102项重大工程建设正加快推进，已分解出的2600多个项目稳妥有序实施；今年全国预计完成水利建设投资约8000亿元，前4个月已完成1958亿元，较去年同期增长45.5%；1至4月全国铁路累计完成固定资产投资1574.6亿元……一边调结构增后劲——今年一季度我国5G基站新增13.4万个，累计建成开通155.9万个；全面启动“东数西算”工程；全国“5G+工业互联网”在建项目达到2400个…
The next section talks about steps towards building a unified national market and focuses on dual circulation; the final section focuses on having confidence. In this, it talks about Xi’s thesis of the five roads that must be followed and the five strategic advantages for China’s development.
Third, there’s the second piece in the series focused on following the footprints of the general secretary. This talks about Xi’s visits to Hebei over the years; his visits to people’s homes and the improvement of people’s lives over the years; the development of the Xiongan New Area and the coordinated development of the Hebei-Beijing-Tianjin area. Anyway, this tweet below by Bill captures the new propaganda push around Xi and its political significance.
Fourth, there’s a report about the publication of a new book recording milestones around the century of sinicization of Marxism. This discusses the three leaps in the sinicization of Marxism, from the creation of Mao Zedong Thought; the development of the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, which realised a new leap in the sinicization of Marxism; and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. As was the case in the third history resolution, Deng Xiaoping gets clubbed with Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin. The report says that the book will help cadres and masses strengthen the ideological, political and action consciousness and unite more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core.
Fifth, a report about Li Zhanshu’s meeting with Constantine Tassoulas, president of the Greek parliament. What’s fascinating to note in this report from Xinhua English is the difference between what China believes Greece’s view is on Taiwan and what Tassoulas says about Greek policy.
“China appreciates Greece’s long-term adherence to the one-China principle and supports Greece in safeguarding its core interests and legitimate rights and interests, Li said…Tassoulas reiterated Greece’s firm commitment to the one-China policy.”
Page 3: A few reports to note. First, Wang Yi’s chat with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Xinhua reports:
“The all-round strategic partnership between the two countries has become an important stabilizing factor in today’s world, Wang said, adding that the sound and steady development of China-Germany relations serves the interests of both sides and helps the two countries play a positive role in maintaining world peace, stability and development. He said that the two countries should make good use of the government consultation mechanism, advance high-level dialogues on strategy, security, finance and people-to-people exchanges, and strengthen exchanges among local governments and youth, as well as educational and cultural exchanges.”
“‘China is willing to deepen cooperation with Germany in traditional fields and expand cooperation in emerging fields such as intelligent manufacturing, information and communication, service trade and new-energy vehicles to foster new growth drivers for the two countries,’ said Wang. Baerbock said Germany regards China as an important partner for cooperation and is formulating a new strategy toward China. Germany is willing to maintain interactions with China at various levels, strengthen cooperation on environmental governance, climate change and pandemic response, and facilitate personnel exchanges, she added. Wang said China hopes that Germany's new strategy toward China will remain active and pragmatic, with foreseeable positive results, and conducive to greater development of bilateral ties. On issues of global significance, Wang said China and Germany, as two major countries, should further strengthen strategic communication, make joint efforts and inject more stability and positive energy into the world. He said the two countries should explicitly uphold true multilateralism, and maintain the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, the international law and basic norms governing international relations. Baerbock said Germany supports multilateralism and is firmly committed to strengthening European strategic autonomy. The two ministers also exchanged views on grain supply problems caused by spillover effects of the Ukraine crisis. Wang said that the international community should push for an early ceasefire and a green channel for Russia and Ukraine to export grain. China is willing to maintain communication with all parties.”
The German readout of the call has three paragraphs, with the first two saying this:
“In view of the many global challenges, Foreign Minister Baerbock stressed the importance of international cooperation. However, such cooperation must be based on the fundamental norms of the international order, which must be respected and defended by all. Germany strongly appeals to all members of the international community to condemn Russia’s illegal war of aggression and to assume their responsibility to uphold international law and to protect the UN Charter.
Human rights are a fundamental part of the international order and Germany is committed to protecting them worldwide. Foreign Minister Baerbock therefore also addressed the shocking reports and new evidence of very serious human rights violations in Xinjiang and called for a transparent investigation.”
Second, there’s a Zhong Sheng commentary on US human rights. This is the fifth such article in the series lashing at the US on human rights issues. This one talks about racism in the US, calling it a “deep-rooted cancer in American society”; “an institutional and systemic defect in the United States that is reflected in every aspect of American society”; and has led to “discrimination, hatred and violence.” It says that since racism is systemic, it requires a systemic response too.
But “some politicians in the United States have openly embraced far-right ideological trends, adding fuel to the flames of white supremacy. In a recent meeting with the families of the victims of the Buffalo shooting, American leaders acknowledged that white supremacy is a poison that permeates the American polity. But the crux of the problem is that the current American political system is not only unable to find an antidote for systemic racism, but is constantly solidifying systemic racism. ‘America cannot be a truly free, democratic society without racial justice’…”更有甚者，美国一些政客公然拥抱极右翼思潮，为白人至上主义推波助澜。美国领导人最近在会见布法罗市枪击事件受害者家属时承认，白人至上主义是一剂毒药，贯穿美国政体。但问题的关键是，目前美国的政治体系不但无法为系统性种族主义找到解药，而且在不断固化系统性种族主义。“没有种族正义，美国就不可能是一个真正的自由、民主社会.”
Third, ILD’s Song Tao met with leaders from Nicaragua’s Sandinista National Liberation Front. Fourth, Song Tao attended the Second China-Arab States Young Politicians Forum. PD says that More than 100 young politicians from political parties across 17 Arab countries attended the meeting.
Fifth, there’s a report with comments from Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management at Bosch. It says that the company will continue to remain invested in the Chinese market. Going ahead, its focus will be on areas like electrification, hydrogen energy, fuel cells, and artificial intelligence and Internet of Things technology. 博世将继续坚持本土化发展，积极布局电气化、氢能、燃料电池、人工智能和物联网技术创新等战略重点领域.
The report adds:
“Bosch Group is the world’s leading supplier of industrial technology and services. In the Chinese market, Bosch provides users with advanced technologies and solutions in the fields of automobile and intelligent transportation, industry, consumer goods, energy and construction. Since 2012, Bosch's investment in the Chinese market has exceeded RMB 50 billion. According to statistics, in fiscal year 2021, Bosch's sales in China were about 128.6 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9.6%, setting a new high. According to Hartung, for Bosch, China is not only a huge market but also a large-scale R&D and production base. Talking about China's goal of carbon peak and neutrality, Hartung believes that this goal ‘also brings more opportunities for Bosch’. At present, Bosch is investing and cooperating with Chinese enterprises to actively promote the development of hydrogen power systems and fixed fuel cells in the local market. ‘We are working with Qingling Motors to build a 100,000-square-metre factory in Chongqing. We expect it to be successfully completed and put into operation in 2023’. Bosch, which entered the Chinese market in 1909, has forged a hundred-year relationship with China. By the end of last year, Bosch had more than 55,000 employees in China, and plans to add 4,000 jobs this year. In the past 10 years, Bosch has invested more than 50 million RMB, and has established long-term cooperation with many Chinese universities such as Tsinghua University and Shanghai Jiaotong University in the fields of fuel cells, autonomous driving and intelligent manufacturing.” 博世集团是世界领先的工业技术及服务供应商。在中国市场，博世为用户提供汽车与智能交通、工业、消费品以及能源与建筑领域先进的技术和解决方案。2012年至今，博世在中国市场的投资额已超过500亿元人民币。据统计，2021财年，博世在华销售额约1286亿元人民币，同比增长9.6%，创下新高。在哈通看来，对于博世而言，中国不仅仅是一个巨大的市场，也是规模庞大的研发和生产基地。谈到中国提出的碳达峰碳中和目标，哈通认为这一目标“也为博世带来了更多机遇”。当前，博世正与中国企业投资合作，积极推动本土市场氢动力系统和固定式燃料电池的发展。“我们正与庆铃汽车在重庆合作建设一座占地约10万平方米的工厂，期待在2023年能顺利建成投产。”1909年进入中国市场的博世已与中国结下百年之缘。截至去年底，博世在华员工总数超过5.5万名，今年还计划新增4000个岗位。近10年来，博世投资超过5000万元人民币，与清华大学、上海交通大学等中国多所高校在燃料电池、自动驾驶、智能制造等领域建立了长期合作.
The piece also has Hartung praising China’s poverty alleviation effort and the “remarkable results” of its COVID containment policies.
Page 4: There’s a report about the COVID situation in Beijing. It says that the situation is still “severe and complex.” The piece talks about the extension of the work from home requirement for people in select districts. In addition, reports talk about the focus on increasing the frequency of nucleic acid testing for people in high mobility positions, like delivery couriers, house cleaners, security guards and catering workers.
The report on Shanghai, says that for the first time since March 19, the number of new infections has dropped below 500.
Page 5: Today, we have the second piece in the series on China’s five strategic advantages. Today’s piece talks about the strength of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It argues that the system enjoys “extraordinary organisational and mobilisation capabilities, overall planning and coordination capabilities, and implementation capabilities.” China’s containment of COVID in Wuhan and Hubei is the example offered as a demonstration of all these capabilities.
The piece argues that since the 18th Party Congress, from constantly improving the basic socialist economic system and political system to increasingly enriching important innovative and support systems in different sectors, the overall system has become much more complete. It has become more mature and formalised. Democratic centralism is more sound, and the comprehensive law-based governance of the country has been further promoted, resulting in tremendous institutional effectiveness when it comes to national governance. Especially when it comes to the response to COVID-19 and poverty alleviation, China’s political and governance systems have demonstrated significant advantages, and the contrast between ‘China's governance’ and ‘Western chaos’ has been stark. Facts have fully proved that the socialist system with Chinese characteristics is the fundamental institutional guarantee for the development and progress of contemporary China, and it is an advanced system with distinctive Chinese characteristics, obvious institutional advantages and strong self-improvement ability. 制度优势是一个国家的最大优势，制度竞争是国家间最根本的竞争。党的十八大以来，从不断完善社会主义基本经济制度、基本政治制度，到日益丰富不同领域具有创新性、支撑性的重要制度，中国特色社会主义制度体系层次分明、系统完备，各项制度更加成熟、更加定型，民主集中制更加健全，全面依法治国深入推进，在国家治理中日益显现出巨大的制度效能。特别是在应对新冠肺炎疫情、打赢脱贫攻坚战等实践中，我国政治制度和治理体系进一步彰显显著优越性，“中国之治”与“西方之乱”对比更加鲜明。事实充分证明，中国特色社会主义制度是当代中国发展进步的根本制度保障，是具有鲜明中国特色、明显制度优势、强大自我完善能力的先进制度.
The last two paragraphs talk about the complex changes taking place in the world, calling for strengthening the ‘four self-confidences,’ improving the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, adhering to the modernisation of the national governance system and governance capacity, and uniting around the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core.
Page 7: The third piece excerpted from the Face to Face with the Century-old Party. I am not doing detailed translated excerpts for this one, since it largely discusses history. It seeks to answer the question: “How was the great victory of the new democratic revolution won?” But there are some takeaways from this for the present situation.
For instance, the piece says that the reason that the new democratic revolution succeeded was because the Party put forward a “democratic revolutionary program that reflected the common voice of the people and pointed out the correct direction of the Chinese revolution.”
“Mao Zedong, Deng Zhongxia, and Peng Pai took off their changshans and suits, put on the workers’ clothes and went to factories, mines, and fields, talking to workers and peasants, propagating and spreading revolutionary ideas, inspiring the revolutionary consciousness among the masses, raising them up to fight resolutely against foreign capitalists, feudal warlords, tyrants and evil gentry, thereby forging a raging revolutionary storm in China.” 毛泽东、邓中夏、彭湃等一批中国共产党人，脱下长衫西服、换上工装短褂，走进工厂矿山，走向田间地头，和工人农民打成一片，宣传革命思想、传播革命主张，启发蕴藏在群众之中的革命觉悟，奋起同外国资本家、封建军阀、土豪劣绅作坚决斗争，在神州大地形成风雷激荡、风驰电掣的革命狂飙.
Another interesting bit is when the story reaches 1946. It says that among the reasons why the CCP triumphed were as follows. I wonder how much stock the current leadership puts into these assessments as offering insights for current geopolitical contestation.
The first reason given is the effectiveness of CCP leadership vs the Kuomintang. “War is the highest form of politics and it is also a concentrated test of the political leadership of the warring sides.” 战争是政治的最高表现形式，也是对交战双方政治领导力的集中检验。
“After a lengthy period of ideological and political construction, the whole party and armed forces had achieved unprecedented unity politically, ideologically and in action. Under the Party Central Committee, PLA officers and soldiers strictly obeyed the line of fighting as directed by Chairman Mao. On the other hand, the Kuomintang army appeared to possess a great force and strength in numbers (看似阵仗很大、人多势众). But in fact, it was riddled with factional divisions, each group with their own agendas and ulterior motives. When it came to fighting, they approached it half-heartedly and in a perfunctory manner; and at the critical moment, they focussed on self-preservation. When a block of steel faces off against a sheet of loose sand, the outcome is predetermined.” – 领导效力大相径庭。战争是政治的最高表现形式，也是对交战双方政治领导力的集中检验。我们党经过长期的思想政治建设，全党全军在政治上思想上行动上达到空前团结统一，党中央一声令下，人民解放军将士令行禁止，毛主席“指到哪儿打到哪儿”。反观国民党军队，看似阵仗很大、人多势众，实则派系林立、各怀鬼胎，打起仗来阳奉阴违、敷衍塞责，关键时刻各自算计、明哲保身，老蒋“急得上蹿下跳也无济于事”。“一块整钢”对决“一盘散沙”，胜败早已注定.
The second reason offered is the difference between the two sides when it came to public support. The Kuomintang represented the “interests of a small number of the bureaucratic bourgeoisie and landlord class.” In contrast, the piece quotes an interaction between Mao and Liu Yazi on May Day in 1949 at the Summer Palace. Liu is surprised at the speed of the CCP’s victory, and says that he cannot fathom what unique/brilliant strategy “妙计” Mao deployed. Mao responds by saying that there’s no such strategy when it comes to war; the support of the people is the 妙计.-- 1949年五一劳动节，毛泽东同志和柳亚子泛舟颐和园昆明湖上有一段坦诚的对话。柳亚子说，没有想到胜利会这么快，不知道毛主席用的是什么妙计。毛泽东同志答道，打仗没有什么妙计，人民的支持是最大的妙计.
The third reason given is that the CCP focused on making the right strategic judgements.
Page 16: The international page is really interesting today. The lead story is the first in what will be a series criticising NATO. This one says that NATO is driven by “ideological prejudice, has engaged in group confrontation, has frequently provoked regional problems, disputes and conflicts, and seriously undermined world and regional peace and stability.”
The piece begins by quoting from this recent statement by Belarus’ Alexander Lukashenko:
“Addressing the peoples of the West, I want to say: you are not so blind as not to understand all the monstrous ramifications of the failed attempts to reorganize Libya, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other countries by force. This all has happened recently. Did you succeed? Democracy on the wings of NATO fighter jets has brought these countries only pain and suffering, casualties and destruction, economic chaos and any lack of prospects. No puppet government that you brought to power there managed to turn their countries into a blooming oasis. I want you, the peoples of the West, ordinary people in Paris and Berlin, Warsaw, New York, Brussels, Amsterdam, dreaming of a green Sahara, of saving the Amazon forests and feeding children of Africa, to know that your money, a lot of your money is spent on the most garden-variety genocide.”
The article then says that after the end of the Cold War, NATO “under the leadership of the United States, under the guise of safeguarding ‘democracy, freedom and human rights’ extended its black hand of armed provocation and military intervention to many places around the world, causing massive casualties and humanitarian disasters.” 1949年，美国以“集体防御”名义拉拢部分欧洲国家成立北大西洋公约组织，将其作为霸权工具。冷战结束后，北约不仅没有偃旗息鼓，反而在美国主导下，打着维护“民主、自由、人权”的幌子，把武装挑衅和军事干涉的黑手伸向全球多地，造成巨大人员伤亡和人道灾难.
The piece talks about the Kosovo war, the war on terror, and the fighting in Libya. The article quotes Dr. Glenn Diesen, Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway, arguing that “NATO defines itself as an ‘eternal force’. Under NATO’s hegemony, invasion has become ‘humanitarian intervention’, coup d'état has become ‘democratic revolution’, subversion/regime change has become ‘promoting democracy’, gunboat diplomacy has become ‘freedom of navigation’, torture has become ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’, expanding military blocs has been rebranded as ‘European integration’, dominating in negotiations has become ‘operating from a position of strength’, and Russia's request for NATO to pledge that it will not engage in expansionism has become ‘violations of democracy and sovereignty’.” 挪威东南大学教授格伦·迪森发表的分析文章认为，世界正向多极时代转变，北约却自我定义为一个“永恒的力量”。在北约霸权的语境下，入侵成了“人道主义干预”，政变成了“民主革命”，而颠覆政权成了“促进民主”，炮舰外交成了“航行自由”，酷刑成了“强化审讯技巧”，军事集团扩张成了“欧洲一体化”，支配成了“从实力地位进行谈判”，而俄罗斯要求北约保证不搞扩张主义则成了“侵犯民主与主权”.
Next, there’s a Zhong Sheng commentary lashing out at Japan for acting as a “vassal” of the US and seeking to provoke “camp confrontation.”
The article says that the US-Japan joint statement during Joe Biden’s visit had “grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs and maliciously attacked China’s foreign policy. Japan and the United States wantonly discredited China’s image, exposing their insidious plot to contain China and divide the region. As an Asian country, Japan should play a constructive role in regional peace, stability and prosperity. However, it has tried its best to cooperate with the United States in promoting the so-called ‘Indo-Pacific strategy’ of creating divisions and confrontation, openly ‘leading the wolf into the house’ 引狼入室, seriously endangering regional peace and stability and certainly harming its own interests.” 5月23日，日美领导人举行会晤并发表联合声明，在一系列涉华问题上散布大量消极言论，粗暴干涉中国内政，恶意攻击中国对外政策。日美两国肆意抹黑中国形象的做法，让其遏制中国、分裂地区的阴险图谋昭然若揭。日本作为亚洲一员，本应为地区和平、稳定、繁荣发挥建设性作用，却极力配合美国推进制造割裂对抗的所谓“印太战略”，公然“引狼入室”，严重危害地区和平稳定，也必将损害其自身利益.
Tne piece specifically talks about the Taiwan issue, the Senkakus and the South China Sea. While pushing back on the latter two, on Taiwan, it says that this is the “political foundation of China-Japan relations” and a matter of “basic trust between the two countries.” Then the piece talks about Japan’s colonial past and adds: Provoking/stirring trouble on the Taiwan issue will place Japan in opposition to more than 1.4 billion Chinese people. 台湾问题事关中日关系政治基础和两国间基本信义，是大是大非的原则问题。日本曾对台湾进行长达半个世纪的殖民统治，犯下罄竹难书的罪行，对中国人民负有严重的历史罪责。日本在台湾问题上制造事端，只会让自己站到14亿多中国人民的对立面. — Quick thought: This is interesting to me because it sounds like threatening economic interests.
The next paragraph says that the real purpose of Japan-US cooperation in the region is not about “freedom and openness” but about creating a “small circle” for geopolitical competition and stoke camp confrontation in Asia. 事实已经充分表明，尽管日美嘴上高谈阔论所谓“自由开放”，但其真实意图是打造地缘争夺的“小圈子”，是要把亚洲阵营化、北约化、冷战化.
And then there’s characteristic advice being offered by the commentator, asking Japan to give up the dream of 脱亚入欧 - leaving Asia to enter Europe, which in the past led to it launching “militarist wars of aggression against its neighbours.” The author wants Japan to “stick to the path of peaceful development and continue to be cautious in words and deeds in the military and security field. This is the right path and only in this way can it avoid repeating historical mistakes.”
The author says that nowadays “Japan has shown that it is eager to speculate on the American hegemonic chessboard and leverage the opportunity to challenge the post-war international order and fashion an excuse for its own military expansion in order to get rid of its post-war shackles.” 如今，日本急欲在美国的霸权棋盘上搞投机，企图借机挑战战后国际秩序，为自身军事扩张松绑、摆脱战后束缚制造借口. This will be counterproductive to Japanese interests and will break the trust it has with its neighbours.
Therefore, it would be advisable for Japan to “draw lessons from history, focus on regional peace and stability, be cautious and win the trust of regional countries with practical actions…only by correcting its attitude toward China, correcting its strategic direction, and truly implementing its commitment of building a constructive and stable relationship with China, can Japan avoid further damage to the relationship between the two countries and be responsible for the safety and well-being of regional countries and its own people.”为他人火中取栗是危险之举，走以邻为壑的歧途更是一条不归路。日本应汲取历史教训，着眼地区和平稳定，务必谨慎行事，以实际行动取信于地区国家。今年是中日邦交正常化50周年，中日关系正处在关键十字路口。日方只有端正对华心态，校正战略走向，真正将构建建设性、稳定的对华关系的表态落到实处，才能避免对两国关系造成更大损害，才是对地区国家和本国人民的安危福祉负责.
Finally, there’s an article by Zhang Weiwei on the problems inherent in American and Western views on human rights. He argues that:
First, American and Western perspective on human rights lacks balance - i.e., civil and political rights are emphasised but the rights of survival, development, economy, society and culture are ignored.
Second, the United States and the West generally believe that human rights are individual rights, but they are unwilling to recognise and often even deny the existence of collective rights. The examples he offers are of French and Danish cartoons leading to tensions with Muslim communities and the friction over COVID containment. He argues: “The practice of absolutising individual rights undoubtedly harms the rights and interests of the majority of people. An ideal human rights protection system should be able to balance individual and collective rights, freedom and responsibility, and achieve a balance between rights and obligations. In this respect, China's view of human rights, which emphasises the balance between rights and obligations, is undoubtedly more in line with the requirements of the times.” 这种将个人权利绝对化的做法无疑损害了大多数人的权益。一个理想的人权保护体系应该能够兼顾个人和集体权利，兼顾自由与责任，使权利与义务之间实现一种平衡。在这方面，中国强调权利与义务平衡的人权观无疑更加契合时代的要求。
Third, human rights cannot be discussed without taking into account the social and political conditions and historical and cultural traditions of different countries. However, the West has been “using human rights as a political tool to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs.” He then talks about China’s development focus when it comes to human rights and says that China’s developmental achievements, particularly poverty alleviation, has been an “inspiration for most developing countries.” Interestingly, he also adds that while keeping in mind the point about national conditions, there is “a common bottom line of human civilisation” when it comes to human rights. This includes “prohibition of torture, prohibition of slavery, freedom of thought, immunity from arbitrary arrest, etc.” On these issues, “there are no differences between the mainstream views of China and those of most countries. The torture of the detainees in Guantanamo Bay by the United States caused led to the international community’s indignation because it violated the common bottom line of human civilisation.”
Fourth, the West views human rights from the lens of the law; China views human rights from the perspective of politics, economy, society and rule of law.
Fifth, differences in terms of cultural tradition. “The United States and the West describe their own culture as ‘universal values’ and others' cultures as backward customs, as they seek to impose their own views on others. This is an attempt to replace the rich and diverse world civilisation with western cultural civilisation.”说到底，美西方那种把自己的文化说成是“普世价值”，把别人的文化说成是落后习俗，把自己的东西强加于人的做法，就是企图以西方文化文明取代丰富多样的世界文明。
Finally, Zhang writes about human rights violations in the context of “foreign wars of aggression” by the West.
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