The following is from a regular column by Kunihiko Miyake in today's Sankei Shimbun.
It is a must-read not only for the Japanese people but also for people worldwide.
It is a must-read, especially for those who make a living from the United Nations.
The emphasis in the text is mine, except for the headline.
Democracy activists to 'change China.
Last week, for the first time in a long time, I read a book on China that was worth reading.
Do you know a man named Yang Jianli? Yang Jianli is a Chinese national living in the United States and a prominent Chinese rights activist and was born in Shandong Province, China, in 1963.
He graduated from Beijing Normal University with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. He earned a doctorate in mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a doctorate in political economy from Harvard University in the United States.
He returned to China at the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, was marked by the authorities for his support of the pro-democracy movement, and began full-scale democratic activities in the United States in 1998.
In 2002, he returned to China in secret, was arrested for observing the labor movement in China, was charged with espionage and illegal entry, and was sentenced to five years in prison.
He was released in 2007 and deported, but later that year, he resumed his pro-democracy activities in the U.S.
He continues to testify before Congress and give lectures as a researcher at Harvard University.
Quality intellectuals
When I learned that Mr. Yang is ten years younger than I am, I suddenly recalled my time in Beijing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for less than four years from 2000.
At that time, there were quite a few good young liberal Communist Party members like Mr. Yang in the academic world in China.
Not a few of them had experienced the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.
I was surprised to learn that intellectuals in China could seriously discuss democracy and human rights.
Yang Jianli is one of those intellectuals who symbolize the China of that era.
Yang Jianli spent nearly 10% of his life in a Chinese prison.
He is the kind of man who, supported by his Christian faith, survived his fierce imprisonment and, in the end, at the request of the guards who mistreated him, helped his daughter to live in the United States.
In the end, he supported his daughter's life in the U.S. at the request of the jailer who mistreated him. The book "Changing China: The Testimony that Moved the U.S. Congress" is a collection of various statements made by Yang over the past 20 years. it cannot hear
Yang's remarks on democracy, human rights, the Tiananmen Square incident, and the events during his imprisonment are valuable things that cannot hear in China today.
He made various proposals on Beijing Olympics and Uyghur issue to the U.S. Congress more than ten years ago, and each of them still hit the nail on the head.
If you are interested, please read this book.
Recommendations to Japan
In this book, Yang said, "Since 1989, the traditional ideology of the Chinese Communist Party has collapsed, nationalism and national interests have replaced the ideals of communism, and Japan has become a convenient target as it has become the only means of integrating common perceptions of society. "
He makes recommendations to Japan.
(1) China's expansionist, undemocratic, and uncivilized regime is detrimental to Japan's security and democratic way of life.
(2) Japan can relieve Chinese people's bad feelings toward Japan by supporting democratization and improvement of the human rights situation in China.
(3) As the most robust democracy in Asia, Japan should be more confident and have a sense of moral responsibility for China's democratization.
(4) Japan's attention to the situation of human rights and the rule of law in China is far too insufficient. Therefore, I recommend that Japan adjust its traditional diplomatic strategy toward China.
It is the cry of the soul of an excellent Chinese intellectual, but it will be received differently by different people.
Mr. Yang also said, "Japan's morning field should understand that even if Japan has done something wrong to the Chinese people, it has never done anything wrong to the Chinese Communist Party.
But even if someone like Yang Jianli takes the position of China's leader in the future, it will take some time before the "century-old feud between China and Japan," as he calls it, is truly resolved.
Nevertheless, it would be in the international community's interest, including Japan, if as many good Chinese people as possible like Mr. Yang return to China and take charge of the country's domestic affairs and diplomacy.
In this sense, too, the book entitled "Let's Change China" is a good book that deserves to be read.
