国家主席負責管理網上言論

Last month the NHK News on-line reported the following:

ネット組織トップに国家主席 世論管理強化か

2月28日 0時17分

中国ではインターネットを管理する新たな組織が発足して習近平国家主席がトップに就任し、政府に批判的な国内のネット世論に対するコントロールを強化するねらいがあるとみられています。

国営の中国中央テレビは２７日夜、インターネットを管理する新たな組織「中央インターネット安全情報化指導グループ」が発足し、２７日、初めての会議が開かれたと伝えました。
会議では、組織のトップに就任した習近平国家主席が、宣伝工作などを通じて国内のネット世論を誘導する必要があると強調し、「世論を誘導するタイミングやレベル、それに効果をしっかりと把握し、ネット空間をきれいにしなければならない」と述べたということです。
中国ではインターネットの利用者が６億人を超え、ネット上で幹部の不正や腐敗を訴えたり、政府に批判的な人たちが結びつきを強めたりする動きが広がっています。習近平指導部はこうした動きに危機感を強めていて、今回、新たな組織を発足させた背景には政府に批判的な国内のネット世論に対するコントロールを強化するねらいがあるとみられています。
習主席は、このところ、経済改革などを進める指導グループや、安全保障政策や治安維持などを統括する機関のトップにも相次いで就任していて、権力の掌握を一層、加速させています。

(試譯文)

In China a new organization for managing the Internet was in operation with PRC President Xi Jinping inaugurated into its top post. The expectation was to aim at strengthening controls over domestic public opinion in the Internet that was critical of the government.

The national China Central Television reported this in the evening of the 27^th (February). The new organization being launched was the "Central Internet Safety Information Guiding Group"; it managed the Internet and held its first meeting on the 27th.

At this meeting it was said that PRC President Xi Jinping was inaugurated as the head of this organization and he emphasized that it was necessary to guide domestic Internet public opinion through propaganda maneuvering etc. and that "the timing and level to guide public opinion effectively must be firmly grasped, and Internet space must be clean up".

In China, Internet users exceeded 600 million people, they appealed against management's injustice or corruption in the Internet. A movement to strengthen ties of those people who were critical of the government was spreading. Regarding this Guidance Department of Xi Jinping, it was a step to strengthen a sense of crisis of the said movement, and this time, serving as a backdrop for the launching of this new organization was the aim to strengthen controls over domestic Internet public opinion that was critical of the government.

Recently Chairman Xi was successively inaugurated into the top post of some guiding groups that advance economic reform etc., also organizations that controlled the overall security policy and the maintenance of public order etc., thus accelerating the further seizure of power.

It needs a man with exceptional energy to chair all meetings in person. It seems that the concept of delegation of authority, and the idea of division of duty and responsible are being ignored. For China observers, it is a political development that deserves attention.