China has expressed deep concern over Japan's approved national intelligence overhaul, urging Japan to draw historical lessons and act with prudence, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Thursday.
Mao made the remarks in response to a media query regarding a law enacted by the Japanese parliament on Wednesday to establish a national intelligence council and a national intelligence bureau.
The bill aims at building a national system to centralize information, the first of its kind since WWII. With the national intelligence council at the core and the national intelligence bureau as an implementation body, the system will be in charge of coordinating intelligence activities.
"I am concerned about the relevant developments, and I have also noted that Japan’s move has already been questioned amid widespread skepticism both in Japan and the international community. Some experts in Japan believe that the overhaul could blur the boundaries of national security and be used to build an all-round system to prepare for war. Insightful observers have also pointed out that this is not merely Japan's internal affair, but also involves major questions regarding Japan's constitutional framework, and the direction of its domestic and foreign security policies. Historically, Japanese intelligence agencies paved the way for the country's full-scale implementation of militarism and the launch of wars of aggression, committing innumerable crimes against neighboring Asian countries and the Japanese people. Japanese politicians should deeply draw lessons from history and act prudently," Mao said.
China urges Japan to draw on historical lessons, act prudently on intelligence overhaul
Colombians are heading to the polls on Sunday to elect their next president. The country's constitution prevents the current President, Gustavo Petro, from running for a second term.
Yet, many see this election as a referendum on the policies of Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first leftist president.
There are 14 candidates on Sunday's ballot, but the polls show it will likely be a tight three-way race.
The frontrunner is Ivan Cepeda, a 63-year-old three-term senator, representing President Gustavo Petro's party, the Historic Pact coalition. Cepeda has vowed to defend and deepen Petro's progressive reforms and social justice policies to reduce inequality. He also promises to continue the government's controversial "Total Peace" strategy to negotiate the disarmament of remaining guerrilla groups and criminal gangs.
"True prosperity comes from equality, from access to rights, and from transforming the peripheral and excluded territories of the rural world," Cepeda said at a campaign rally.
Running as a political outsider and independent is Abelardo de la Espriella, a 47-year-old lawyer, nicknamed "The Tiger." He has presented himself as the "authority and order" candidate who will reduce state spending by up to 40 percent in the next four years.
"(First,) we must fight insecurity. Colombia is suffering today from a pandemic of insecurity. Crime is out of control: extortion, cattle theft, smuggling, drug trafficking," he said to his supporters at an election event.
According to polls, the third candidate with strong support is Paloma Valencia. The 48-year-old senator represents the Democratic Center party led by popular former President Alvaro Uribe Velez. Her candidacy is backed by politicians and economists who are concerned with growing levels of public debt. They want to see a return to more conservative fiscal policies.
"I don't want to be a president who governs alone, locked away in glass offices. I want to be a president who stands with citizens, who embraces them, who reaches out to them, who has a team, and who governs to transform Colombia," the candidate said at the campaign event
According to polls earlier in the year, many voters are expressing concerns about unemployment, rising living costs, corruption, and, above all, public security.
The election comes after a turbulent year that the International Committee of the Red Cross has called "the worst humanitarian consequences of armed conflict over the past decade."
"(We arrive at this election in a tense atmosphere - tense) because of the economic situation, because of the security situation, and because of the narratives that have been built around the country's main problems. On top of that, emotions, ideas and social media have all helped raise (the tone,)" said Eduardo Velosa, associate professor from International Studies Javeriana University.
If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election will be held between the top two finishers on June 21st.
Colombians prepare to choose their next president
