DM Monitoring
TOKYO: The Chinese Embassy in Japan cautioned Japan not to be misled by people with ulterior motives, after Japanese media reports began to hype a list of nearly 2 million Chinese Communist Party (CPC) members, among which 5,000 work for Japanese companies.
The list was published by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), which dates back to 2016. The list covers about 80,000 party branches, mainly around Shanghai, along with their members. The organization has distributed it to a number of countries. The list shows roughly 5,000 party members at nearly 300 Japanese companies or affiliated organizations. More than 80 percent of these members work in the manufacturing sector. The Japanese government has expressed interest in the information. “Though the government can’t determine whether it’s authentic, it’s highly valuable information,” an economic security policy official was quoted by the Nikkei as saying.
The Chinese Embassy in Japan said on Wednesday that the reports are slanderous against China, as 92 million CPC members play various roles in different walks of life. Countries should deal with each other on the basis of international relations and mutual respect for each other’s system and situation, said the embassy.
It urged Japan to have a clear picture of this fact and to not be misled by people with ulterior motives.
IPAC was established in June this year, and is supported by some with anti-China agendas, such as US Senator Marco Rubio.
Shi Ming, chief of the China, Japan and South Korea exchange center under the China Chamber of International Commerce told the Global Times that the Japanese media’s speculation and concern are “unnecessary.” All foreign companies, including Japanese ones, must comply with market rules and Chinese laws, said Shi, noting that in order to save money, most of the employees at the companies are Chinese.
Shi, who has frequently visited Japanese companies’ factories in China, said that most of those companies have set up CPC branches, and CPC members have been role models in those enterprises, positively pushing forward those companies’ localization.
An expert who is familiar with China-Japan affairs told the Global Times that Japanese companies are fully aware that many excellent Chinese workers are Party members and they are not concerned about such details.
If they try to exclude Party members, it will be difficult for them to carry on their work. The current situation may also be influenced by the US, the expert said.
Shi said that via exchanges with Japanese companies’ executives in China, he learned that the companies approve of the Party members’ work.
“More and more foreign companies will be entering China as the country continues opening to outside world. And more Party members will be working in those companies, contributing to the companies’ development in China.”
