日メコン会議 良質なインフラ整備を進めよ

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan must do utmost to help Mekong countries build quality infrastructure
日メコン会議　良質なインフラ整備を進めよ

Given the promise and potential of Southeast Asian nations, providing development assistance and boosting mutually beneficial cooperative ties are actions that correspond to Japan’s national interests. The government must adopt a strategic perspective in addressing these tasks.
　将来性豊かな東南アジアの成長を後押しし、互恵的な協力関係を強化することは、日本の国益に合致する。政府は、戦略的に取り組むべきだ。

Japan and five Southeast Asian nations along the Mekong River recently held a summit conference in Tokyo. There Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged fresh assistance to the Mekong countries in the form of ¥750 billion in official development aid over the next three years. He also stressed that Japan earnestly seeks to bring about “high-quality growth” in the region.
　日本とメコン川流域５か国が東京で首脳会議を開いた。安倍首相は、今後３年間で７５００億円規模の政府開発援助（ＯＤＡ）の拠出を表明した。「質の高い成長の実践を目指す」とも強調した。

Abe’s announcement is part of an investment initiative for the Asian region that the Japanese government unveiled in May. The recent assistance pledge emphasized transportation infrastructure projects, including the construction of an arterial road that will serve as an economic corridor linking the east and west of the Mekong region, and the building and upgrading of ports and airports.
　５月に発表したアジア投資計画の一環だ。メコン地域の東西を幹線道路で結ぶ「経済回廊」や、港湾、空港など交通面の社会基盤（インフラ）整備に重点を置く。

Flanked by the two major powers of China and India, the Mekong region is situated in an area of high strategic importance for land and maritime traffic in the vicinity of the South China Sea.
　メコン地域は、大国の中国とインドに挟まれ、南シナ海に接する陸上・海上交通の要衝である。

Japan maintains generally friendly relations with the five countries — Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar — all of which have been logging high rates of growth.
　タイ、ベトナム、カンボジア、ラオス、ミャンマーの各国は基本的に親日的で、成長率も高い。

The implementation of the Abe administration’s growth strategy can be accelerated by using ODA as a catalyst for their economic development and expanding private-sector investment by Japanese firms to make the most of their vitality.
　ＯＤＡを呼び水に、日本企業の投資を拡大し、各国の活力を取り込むことは、安倍政権の成長戦略にも資するだろう。

In this regard, it is important to build relations on an equal footing — whereby all parties can enjoy mutual benefits — by paying due respect to individual needs.
　大切なのは、相手国の自主性を尊重し、共に利益を享受する対等な関係を築くことである。

‘Soft efforts’ for development

In the case of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the percentage of China’s capital contribution is overwhelmingly large compared to that of other members. This has led to doubts about the impartiality of its management and financing decisions.
　中国主導のアジアインフラ投資銀行（ＡＩＩＢ）は、中国の出資比率が突出し、運営や融資判断の公正性に疑念が持たれている。

It is essential for Japan to work hard to maintain effectiveness and a high degree of transparency in its assistance activities to help build quality infrastructure in the region. Such efforts will distinguish Japan’s assistance from that of China.
　日本は、適正で透明性の高い援助に努め、「良質なインフラ」を地域に定着させることが肝要だ。それが、中国との差別化を図ることにつながろう。

A joint statement adopted at the close of the summit meeting stressed the significance of working together with the Asian Development Bank. It also advocated boosting Japan’s “soft efforts” in such fields as research and development or the nurturing of human resources.
　首脳会議が採択した共同文書は、アジア開発銀行（ＡＤＢ）との連携を強調した。研究開発、人材育成などソフト面の支援に力を入れる方針も打ち出している。

It is vital to carry out a form of “Japanese-style development assistance” that is carefully designed to help each country in the Mekong region achieve sustainable growth through autonomous means.
　メコン地域各国の自立的で、持続的な発展を、きめ細かく手助けする「日本型援助」を着実に推進することが重要である。

Views on maritime security issues were also exchanged at the summit conference.
　首脳会議では、海洋安全保障についても議論した。

The joint statement made explicit reference to “concerns over the recent development in the South China Sea, which ... may undermine regional peace, security and stability.” This alludes to reclamation projects on reefs that are apparently part of a bid for militarization.
　共同文書は「地域の平和、安全、安定を損ないうる南シナ海の最近の動向」への「懸念」を明記した。中国による岩礁埋め立てと軍事施設化を念頭に置いたものだ。

The statement also affirmed the importance of freedom of navigation based on international law and the need to resolve conflicts through peaceful means.
　国際法の原則に基づく航行の自由や、紛争の平和的解決の必要性なども盛り込まれた。

Maritime security must be recognized as an “international good” that is indispensable for economic activity to be conducted freely and smoothly, according to the statement. It is highly significant that not only Vietnam, which is at odds with China over territorial issues, but also such countries as Cambodia, which has closer ties with China, agreed on the joint statement’s contents.
　海洋の安全は、自由で円滑な経済活動を支える国際公共財だ。中国と領有権問題で対立するベトナムだけでなく、中国と近いカンボジアなども、共同文書の認識を共有したことは意味がある。

In cooperation with the international community, Japan and the five countries must work together at various opportunities to make China refrain from attempting to change the status quo by force.
　日本と５か国は様々な機会に、国際社会と連携し、力による現状変更の試みを自制するよう中国に働きかけることが求められる。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 5, 2015)