The following is from yesterday's Sankei Shimbun.
This article also proves that the Sankei Shimbun is the most decent newspaper in the world today.
Winter is coming to haunt Xi Jinping
Jun Kurosawa
About two years ago, I bought a racket at a table tennis specialty store in Takadanobaba, Tokyo.
A racket made in Scandinavia that Xu Xin (31), a male player of the Chinese pair defeated by Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito in the mixed doubles of the Tokyo Olympics, was involved in the production himself.
I wanted to use it because I was fascinated by the outstanding footwork of Xu Xin, who usually returns a ball with his backhand but quickly turns around and returns it with his forehand.
The former world No. 1 southpaw is a skilled competitor who is particular about his equipment.
He probably never imagined that a Japanese pair would snatch the gold medal.
Xu Xin and her team's defeat in the final was a shock to people at home and abroad.
Kazuyoshi Suzuki, 62, a high-ball champion at the Northern Japan Table Tennis Tournament who officiated the match when Mizutani was in junior high school, said, "Normally, this would never happen. He pointed out that the Chinese table tennis world has a thick layer of players, and they even make copies of their opponents for practice.
The Chinese media also reported that it was a day of humiliation.
The upset in the final surely damaged the prestige of "China, the Kingdom of Table Tennis," which is said to have a competitive population of 30 million.
China is a country that is even more obsessed with its "reputation.
It has continued to expand its military presence in the South China Sea. It has also proudly announced its intention to become a world-leading power by increasing its economic strength.
I caught a glimpse of this when I covered the U.N. General Assembly in New York in 2015. President Xi Jinping surprised the heads of state and government by entering the chamber in an orderly fashion with dozens of his entourage.
While many leaders casually entered with a few subordinates, it was a performance to show off their country to the world with the power of numbers.
When I traveled to Beijing alone in 1989, I felt the sense of "Chinese superiority" when five men in a cargo truck pointed at me and chanted "Japanese, Japanese" in an insulting tone.
I am not sure if the history between Japan and China made them do so or if it was the confidence of a developing country that is also a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. Still, I realized firsthand the strength of Chinese self-consciousness.
I don't know if it was because of their confidence in their ability to be a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.
We are now six months away from the Winter Olympics to be held next year by China, which has recently been appealing to the world as a powerful country that can compete with the United States.
According to Mr. Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Mr. Xi promised to "ensure that 300 million Chinese participate in snow and ice sports" by the end of last month.
In contrast to Mr. Bach, who accidentally slipped up just before the Tokyo Olympics and said that "the most important thing is the Chinese people," this is another demonstration of China's immense presence.
However, the reality that awaits the Xi leadership is harsh.
The "boycott of the Olympics" argument over the suppression of human rights in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is still burning.
Countermeasures against the new coronavirus are also a concern.
A cluster (group of infected people) occurred in the athletes' village at the Tokyo Olympics.
At the Beijing Olympics, it was not always possible to enforce a ban on alcohol consumption in the athletes' village, and it wasn't easy to check for unmasked fussiness in the athletes' rooms.
How will we respond when many people complain that they cannot allow athletes to stay in the corona-ridden and dangerous athletes' village?
Has China, which reportedly sent a delegation of 777 athletes to the Tokyo Games, including a team to investigate Tokyo's quarantine system, gained enough knowledge from Japan?
China cannot escape the responsibility of concealing the corona outbreak from the rest of the world and spreading it. The international community will continue to hold it accountable even during the Beijing Olympics.
Next fall, China will hold its once-every-five-year Communist Party Congress.
Mr. Xi is aiming for a third term, and the success of the Beijing Olympics will be "an important step" (according to diplomatic sources).
Will it be that easy?
The season will soon shift to autumn and winter, a time of great concern for Mr. Xi.
This article also proves that the Sankei Shimbun is the most decent newspaper in the world today.
Winter is coming to haunt Xi Jinping
Jun Kurosawa
About two years ago, I bought a racket at a table tennis specialty store in Takadanobaba, Tokyo.
A racket made in Scandinavia that Xu Xin (31), a male player of the Chinese pair defeated by Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito in the mixed doubles of the Tokyo Olympics, was involved in the production himself.
I wanted to use it because I was fascinated by the outstanding footwork of Xu Xin, who usually returns a ball with his backhand but quickly turns around and returns it with his forehand.
The former world No. 1 southpaw is a skilled competitor who is particular about his equipment.
He probably never imagined that a Japanese pair would snatch the gold medal.
Xu Xin and her team's defeat in the final was a shock to people at home and abroad.
Kazuyoshi Suzuki, 62, a high-ball champion at the Northern Japan Table Tennis Tournament who officiated the match when Mizutani was in junior high school, said, "Normally, this would never happen. He pointed out that the Chinese table tennis world has a thick layer of players, and they even make copies of their opponents for practice.
The Chinese media also reported that it was a day of humiliation.
The upset in the final surely damaged the prestige of "China, the Kingdom of Table Tennis," which is said to have a competitive population of 30 million.
China is a country that is even more obsessed with its "reputation.
It has continued to expand its military presence in the South China Sea. It has also proudly announced its intention to become a world-leading power by increasing its economic strength.
I caught a glimpse of this when I covered the U.N. General Assembly in New York in 2015. President Xi Jinping surprised the heads of state and government by entering the chamber in an orderly fashion with dozens of his entourage.
While many leaders casually entered with a few subordinates, it was a performance to show off their country to the world with the power of numbers.
When I traveled to Beijing alone in 1989, I felt the sense of "Chinese superiority" when five men in a cargo truck pointed at me and chanted "Japanese, Japanese" in an insulting tone.
I am not sure if the history between Japan and China made them do so or if it was the confidence of a developing country that is also a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. Still, I realized firsthand the strength of Chinese self-consciousness.
I don't know if it was because of their confidence in their ability to be a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.
We are now six months away from the Winter Olympics to be held next year by China, which has recently been appealing to the world as a powerful country that can compete with the United States.
According to Mr. Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Mr. Xi promised to "ensure that 300 million Chinese participate in snow and ice sports" by the end of last month.
In contrast to Mr. Bach, who accidentally slipped up just before the Tokyo Olympics and said that "the most important thing is the Chinese people," this is another demonstration of China's immense presence.
However, the reality that awaits the Xi leadership is harsh.
The "boycott of the Olympics" argument over the suppression of human rights in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is still burning.
Countermeasures against the new coronavirus are also a concern.
A cluster (group of infected people) occurred in the athletes' village at the Tokyo Olympics.
At the Beijing Olympics, it was not always possible to enforce a ban on alcohol consumption in the athletes' village, and it wasn't easy to check for unmasked fussiness in the athletes' rooms.
How will we respond when many people complain that they cannot allow athletes to stay in the corona-ridden and dangerous athletes' village?
Has China, which reportedly sent a delegation of 777 athletes to the Tokyo Games, including a team to investigate Tokyo's quarantine system, gained enough knowledge from Japan?
China cannot escape the responsibility of concealing the corona outbreak from the rest of the world and spreading it. The international community will continue to hold it accountable even during the Beijing Olympics.
Next fall, China will hold its once-every-five-year Communist Party Congress.
Mr. Xi is aiming for a third term, and the success of the Beijing Olympics will be "an important step" (according to diplomatic sources).
Will it be that easy?
The season will soon shift to autumn and winter, a time of great concern for Mr. Xi.
