Xue Jian, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Osaka: I hope you will understand the real China

Source: Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Osaka

On October 20, Consul General Xue Jian was interviewed by "Spring and Autumn of Literature and Art". The relevant content was published in the special issue of the 100th anniversary of the founding of "Literature and Art Spring and Autumn", which was released on December 10, and the full text is as follows:

I hope you understand the real China

——What is the reason why Consul Xue opened a personal Twitter account in addition to the official account of the Consulate General?

Consul General Xue: Speaking out through social media is a very common way of publicity in modern times. My purpose in tweeting is to hope that the Japanese people can correctly understand China. The official account of the Consulate General mainly publishes official information of the Chinese government, and my personal account has a certain personal color on the basis of expounding official opinions.

-- Some of the tweets on your personal account are sharp, did you receive instructions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing?

Consul General Xue: Not really.

At present, various surveys show that the Japanese people's favorability toward China has fallen below 10%.

Consul General Xue: There was already an entanglement between China and Japan. In addition, the Japanese media also has a great influence on national feelings. Newspapers and television are full of anti-China reports, and cyberspace is full of negative information related to China. In this environment, it is impossible for the Japanese people to have a favorable feeling for China.

The Japanese media did not understand China at all, nor did they introduce China's development and changes to the people, and the real information about China was blocked or even tampered with, which affected the Correct Understanding of China by the Japanese People.

A one-sided perception of China is by no means a good thing for China and Japan, including Japan itself. The Chinese government and every Chinese diplomat wants Japan to report on China fairly and objectively. The so-called public opinion is fundamentally something that can be artificially shaped. It can be guided in a bad direction, and of course it can be guided in a good direction.

After the end of the Cold War, the U.S. view seemed to be the only correct answer in Western society, and as the trend spread, Japan showed a tendency to stay away from China. After Francis ▪ Fukuyama's claim in "The End of History" that the world will eventually achieve American democracy spread, Japan began to look at China with American values, which are colored glasses made in the United States, and had a wrong perception of China.

Are your efforts on online platforms to correct this trend?

Consul General Xue: Yes. I hope that all Japanese friends will abandon prejudice and prejudice and understand the real China.

The United States is the country with the worst human rights violations

— Many Japanese were unhappy that Consul General Xue had retweeted a satirical cartoon on Twitter on August 18 about people fleeing Afghanistan falling from a retreating U.S. military plane. Do you think this is an effective vocalization?

Consul General Xue: To let all walks of life understand the real China, we must not blindly sell smiling faces. In other words, there can be no flattery diplomacy. It is very important to truly express that China views the problem in this way, and that Chinese have such feelings.

It's interesting that people, not bombs, fell from U.S. military planes, is this the "real" China feeling?

Consul General Xue: It is not that I find it interesting, but I hope that the Japanese people will face up to the other side of the United States, that is, it has brought great harm to the international community as a hegemonic country. I hope that the Japanese people will not only see the good side of the United States, but also see what he has actually done to hurt other countries. Japanese society, on the other hand, is extremely short of information on this, always viewing the United States as a flower and looking at China through American values. I don't think this is a healthy gesture toward China.

Should Japan keep its distance from the United States and promote friendship with China?

Consul General Xue: I have no intention of commenting on the Japan-U.S. alliance, because that is Japan's own choice. But if this alliance brings harm to other countries, especially China, it will be a different matter. Japan attaches great importance to the Japan-US security treaty, but China is a neighbor of Japan, and China and Japan have also signed a treaty of peace and friendship.

In recent years, the Japanese side has regarded the United States as an absolute existence, and China has ranked behind. However, the current international situation has changed drastically, and it is unwise to think that japan can sit back and relax as long as it does a good job in its relations with the United States, and that its relations with China can also be balanced. Japan should not regard the Japan-U.S. alliance as the whole of diplomacy.

The normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations, especially in the decades since China's reform and opening up, has benefited greatly from the development of bilateral relations, and this is an undeniable fact that China has benefited from Japan's help. In the future, China's development will bring greater dividends to Japan, can Japan face up to this reality? This is a very test of courage and wisdom.

In recent years, European and American countries have increased pressure on China on the Hong Kong and Xinjiang issues.

Consul General Xue: Interfering in the internal affairs of other countries under the pretext of the so-called human rights issue is a common routine of the So-called Developed Countries such as the United States, which has been the case for decades, and its essence has never changed.

Hong Kong-related Issues concerning Xinjiang are by no means human rights issues, but major political principle issues concerning China's national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. We can say with great confidence that China is one of the best countries in the world in terms of minority policy.

The United States often talks about so-called human rights issues, but the human rights situation in their own country is in a mess. Their so-called human rights are nothing more than political means, tools for maintaining US hegemony. The United States has spoken of human rights, but when Xinjiang was harmed by violent terrorist attacks, they did not make any condemnation of the terrorists. When the riots broke out in Hong Kong, the speaker of the US House of Representatives even claimed that it was a "beautiful landscape." This is downright hypocrisy and double standards!

Just fight back

At present, Chinese diplomats are strongly attacking the United States.

Consul General Xue: We are just making a legitimate counterattack. For unreasonable and malicious attacks, we have to go head-on and respond positively. This is the response of a responsible government to protect the interests of the people and the country. After china's great efforts, Hong Kong has now returned to stability, the citizens have returned to normal life, and the economic situation is very good. The same is true in Xinjiang, where there has not been a single violent terrorist attack in the past five years, and people enjoy the best peace, stability and prosperity in history. This is an irrefutable fact. I hope that Japanese friends will have the opportunity to visit Xinjiang and see for themselves.

Through the experience of recent years, we have once again realized that in dealing with a hegemonic country like the United States, we must unite as one, firmly implement correct policies, and speak with facts and results. Only in this way can those who make accusations against China shut up.

On September 13, current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida tweeted during his Presidential election for the Liberal Democratic Party that he should push for a resolution condemning human rights abuses in Xinjiang. Consul General Xue retweeted his tweet and retorted that "the so-called human rights issue in Xinjiang is the political propaganda of anti-China separatist forces." Is this a "legitimate counterattack" against Prime Minister Kishida?

Consul General Xue: I just truthfully expressed China's views. The Consul General is not on the position of a country's leader as an adversary. However, the "Japan Uyghur Association" is an anti-China separatist force full of lies. As a responsible politician, you should not engage with such forces. It is hoped that the Japanese side will take wise action.

Non-interference in each other's internal affairs is the basic norm of international relations, not to mention the fact that there are clear provisions in documents such as the joint statement signed and issued between China and Japan. Since commitments have been made, they should be earnestly fulfilled, which is the foundation of national faith. China and Japan are both East Asian countries, and there has been an unfortunate history in modern times, so we should pay more attention to faith and righteousness.

If the Ryukyu independence activists in Okinawa had asked China for assistance, wouldn't It have been possible for China to provide assistance?

Consul General Xue: I don't know much about this. Historically, it is a fact that the Ryukyu Kingdom had very close relations with China. In order to develop healthy and stable Sino-Japanese relations, we must carefully handle issues related to each other's internal affairs.

Build a community with a shared future for mankind

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China.

Consul General Xue: This is an important milestone year in Sino-Japanese relations. The leaders of China and Japan unanimously agreed to take the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations next year as an opportunity to make positive efforts to promote the construction of Sino-Japanese relations that meet the requirements of the new era. In 1924, Dr. Sun Yat-sen gave a famous lecture entitled "Greater Asianism" in Kobe. In his speech, he questioned, "Whether to be a domineering eagle dog in the West or a dry city to be the king of the East, it is up to you Japanese people to choose carefully." I would like to ask about japan today in the original version of this sentence.

Has China today chosen the royal path over aggressive hegemony?

Consul General Xue: Exactly. China stands for building a community with a shared future for mankind. This is a completely open and win-win initiative, which can be said to be the king of China in the new era. This is fundamentally different from the U.S.-led exclusivity of the Indo-Pacific strategy. In recent years, some people in Japan have claimed that China is competing with the United States for hegemony, which is a complete misinterpretation. China just wants to be a better version of itself. In the past, China was never a hegemonic country, but because its own development attracted the followers of neighboring countries. China will not invade other countries or interfere in their internal affairs.

Can China also use the "royal road" to peacefully resolve the Diaoyu Dao issue?

Consul General Xue: On the issue of the Diaoyu Islands, when Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations were normalized, the leaders of the two countries made an agreement. In the course of the negotiation and conclusion of the Sino-Japanese Treaty of Peace and Friendship, it was also mentioned that the problem should be left to future generations to resolve. There has also been a concept between the two countries to set aside the controversy and jointly develop it.

The reason for the intensification of this problem in recent years is, objectively speaking, that the Japanese side has unilaterally undermined the agreement reached between the leaders. China has its own position, and of course it has to react to it.

Still, China has not given up on its original idea. In 2014, China and Japan held talks to reach an agreement on preventing the situation from deteriorating through dialogue and consultation, which was an important part of the four-point principled consensus reached at that time, that is, to strengthen crisis management and control through dialogue and jointly maintain peace and stability in the waters of the Diaoyu Islands. I believe that as long as the two sides show good faith and abide by the agreement, this problem will not become more serious.

The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is irreversible

Where will China go in the future?

Consul General Xue: In the past 5,000 years of history, China has been in the leading position in the world for most of the time, and in modern times, it has been disconnected from the world development trend for more than a hundred years, and has been forced to experience a tragic history of humiliation. Under the correct leadership of the Communist Party of China, China has finally moved toward rejuvenation as a world power again.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and as President Xi Jinping solemnly declared at the meeting to celebrate the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process. This is not empty talk, but conclusions based on facts and rigorous analysis.

The Chinese Communist Party has the unwavering support of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people. Former US President Trump has tried to sever the relationship between the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese people, which is a joke for us in China. It is really touching that the IQ of the United States has fallen to this level.

In Japan, there is also the expression that China is a "communist dictatorship", which is a misconception with great prejudice. To understand China, we must first correctly understand the Chinese Communist Party.

Finally, I would like to stress that Japan is invited to stay away from China's internal affairs. I hope that you will maintain an appropriate distance from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Xinjiang, Tibet, etc., and pay attention to China as a friendly neighbor.