Published on February 3, 2020.
This article discusses Sakurai Yoshiko’s essay in the Sankei Shimbun, arguing that the spread of the novel coronavirus exposed the limits of one-party rule by the Chinese Communist Party, China’s influence over the WHO, the special relationship between Ethiopia and China, the debt trap, the Belt and Road Initiative, and the China strategy Japan must adopt.
It also points out that the government and ruling parties must present a twenty-first-century grand strategy toward the Chinese Communist Party and pursue constitutional revision including emergency clauses, while the opposition parties must engage in realistic debate to protect the lives of Japanese citizens.

2020-02-03
In order to make full use of Ethiopia’s position, China canceled the interest on Ethiopia’s debt to China up to the end of the year before last, and Chinese companies promised investments totaling 4 billion dollars.
The following is from an essay by Sakurai Yoshiko, published in today’s Sankei Shimbun under the title “Novel Pneumonia: Present a Strategy Toward China.”
It is no exaggeration to say that she is not only a national treasure as defined by Saicho, but also a living Kukai and Nobunaga.
Emphasis in the text is mine.
Are These the Limits of the Xi Jinping System?
Has the novel coronavirus, which has spread throughout China and to more than twenty countries around the world, not once again engraved deep in the hearts of people around the world that one-party rule by the Chinese Communist Party does not, by its very nature, make human beings happy, and that China cannot possibly be a trustworthy leading nation in the international community?
That recognition cannot help but bring about a major change in the current of international politics.
At this juncture, both Japan’s ruling and opposition parties are being confronted with important tasks.
The government and ruling parties, which bear direct responsibility for diplomacy and national security, must present Japan’s twenty-first-century grand strategy toward the Chinese Communist Party, whose almost hopeless nature has been laid bare by the novel virus problem.
They must also hasten constitutional revision in order to establish emergency clauses to protect the lives of the people.
The opposition parties are required to set priorities among issues and to work realistically to preserve the lives and safety of the people.
Neither the Chinese Communist Party nor President Xi Jinping has clearly learned from the SARS problem of seventeen years ago.
At that time, China was severely criticized by the world for concealing information, and this time it is the same.
The despotic dictatorship did not reflect on its actions and has failed once again.
Under China’s strong influence, the World Health Organization did not declare a “public health emergency of international concern” at its meeting on January 22 and 23, and even issued erroneous information such as saying that human-to-human transmission of the virus had not been confirmed.
At the same time, the Chinese government announced the lockdown of Wuhan, the city where the outbreak originated, shortly after 2 a.m. on January 23, but five million people had already left Wuhan.
Since the infection was first reported on December 8 of last year, the number of infected people in mainland China had expanded to 11,860 and the number of deaths to 259, according to the February 2 edition of the People’s Daily, the organ of the Chinese Communist Party.
However, after that, the number of infected people exceeded 14,000, and the number of deaths exceeded 300, showing the aspect of a major epidemic.
Mr. Xi and the Chinese Communist Party will never try to admit their own failure, but the calculations of such a selfish one-party dictatorship do not work against a virus.
Nevertheless, on January 30, WHO Director-General Tedros finally declared an “emergency” and stated as follows:
“We must thank China for the low number of infections outside China.”
This is probably the effect of Chinese money.
People and countries that respect and stand in awe of nature are humbly afraid, but the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party, including Mr. Xi, are different.
Their highest leader is not heaven, nature, or God.
It is themselves.
The Chinese Communist Party reigns and towers above all.
They think that this is the condition for the happiness of the “community of common destiny for mankind.”
That is precisely why, with their incorrigible habit of concealment, they mislead domestic public opinion.
They try to establish a Chinese sphere through money operations.
Ethiopia, the homeland of Mr. Tedros, hosts the headquarters of the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and is one of the centers of African diplomacy.
In order to make full use of Ethiopia’s position, China canceled the interest on Ethiopia’s debt to China up to the end of the year before last, and Chinese companies promised investments totaling 4 billion dollars.
The Chinese government announced that it would invest 1.8 billion dollars in the development of power transmission and distribution networks for sixteen industrial parks, and the railway linking Ethiopia’s capital with Djibouti, a strategic point facing the Gulf of Aden, has already opened with full assistance from China.
Ethiopia, which accepted China’s Belt and Road policy, has fallen into a debt trap in the palm of China’s hand: Ethiopia has a nominal gross domestic product of about 80 billion dollars, while China has one of about 14 trillion dollars.
However, will the “debt-trap strategy” not become even more bogged down by the negative impact of the novel virus problem on the economy?
Even before that, the world has learned from the examples of the Uyghurs, Hong Kong, and Taiwan how mercilessly China behaves toward weak countries and weak forces.
China does not think about the prosperity of countries that it has driven into the debt trap, nor about the happiness of the people of those countries.
It has not even paid sufficient attention to the health and happiness of its own people.
There is no way such a regime can last.
The Xi Jinping administration is facing an extraordinary crisis.
Under these circumstances, can it hold the National People’s Congress, which is now only one month away?
Can U.S.-China trade negotiations, Japan-China diplomacy, and other matters proceed normally?
Where should Japan see the possibilities and limits of the Xi system?
The time has come for the government to show the people the outlook for its policy toward China.
On the other hand, the opposition parties first have a responsibility to properly participate in reality-based discussions in order to deal with the immediate crisis of the novel virus before our eyes.
What is the purpose of opposition parties if they do not accurately point out the shortcomings of the government and ruling parties and connect them to thorough countermeasures?
Nevertheless, what on earth are the opposition parties other than the Democratic Party for the People and Nippon Ishin no Kai doing?
At the House of Councillors Budget Committee on January 29, Renho, deputy leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party, spent all of her question time on the “Cherry Blossom Viewing Party.”
Did she have no thought at all for the Japanese citizens left in China?
In response to public backlash, the opposition parties finally began to discuss the virus problem, but it would be meaningless merely to criticize the government’s initial response as “always one step behind.”
It was precisely the Constitutional Democratic Party that should have questioned the government on the virus problem at an early stage.
I do not think they have the qualification to criticize the government after questioning nothing but the “cherry blossoms.”
There are still Japanese nationals in Hubei Province, including Wuhan, who have not been able to return home.
Work seriously to bring those people back to Japan as soon as possible.
Transport aircraft of the Air Self-Defense Force are equipped with flying intensive care units and mobile medical equipment units, and have the ability to transport seriously ill patients.
As a result of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s refusal, they have not been able to fly, but it is also the responsibility of the opposition parties, together with the government and ruling parties, to ask the Chinese government to accept Self-Defense Force aircraft for the transport of Japanese citizens.
First, protect our own citizens, and extend a helping hand to China as well.
Furthermore, work hard for the accession of our friend Taiwan to the WHO.
Let the opposition parties take the lead in developing such constructive discussions.