SinoJapanese Relations

Rivals or Partners in Regional Cooperation?

Sino-Japanese relations have been on the mend since Shinzo Abe assumed the Japanese Prime Minister's office in September 2006. His visit to China in October 2006 and the reciprocal visits of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao in April 2007, and President Hu Jintao in May 2008, facilitated the further thawing of bilateral relations under the framework of “mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic relationship.” A substantial number of additional events have indicated the continuation of the positive trend in the strengthening of the bilateral relations.

However, several issues continue to obstruct the building of long-term confidence between the two Asian giants. Despite the overall improved relations, there is very little structural thinking about how to move the Sino-Japanese relations to the next level and how to institutionalize security dialogues at the regional and international level.

This book provides an overview of the current situation and also gives suggestions on what is needed to move beyond the haphazard level of cooperation in Northeast Asia, especially as the six-party talks seem to have broken down. It focuses on Chinese and Japanese perceptions of the bilateral situation, and the potential of, and need for, multilateral structures in managing the future.

Contents:

• Introduction (Niklas Swanström & Ryosei Kokubun)

• Setting the Terminology:

  • Moving from Crisis Management to Regional Cooperation: Clarifying Concepts (Martina Klimesova)

• Current Bilateral Relations:

  • Sino–Japanese Relations: A Japanese Perspective (Hiroki Takeuchi)
  • Sino–Japanese Relations: A Chinese Perspective (Fu Xiao)
  • Sino–Japanese Relations: The American Factor (Peter Gries)

• Multilateral Structures:

  • Sino–Japanese Strategic Relations in Multilateral Regional Frameworks (Yasuhiro Takeda)
  • Major Powers' Policies toward North Korea and Implications for Sino–Japanese Relations (Gui Yongtao)
  • Regional Structures in Northeast Asia: Whither and What? (Niklas Swanström)
  • China, Japan and Asian Regional Integration: From Bilateral to Multilateral? (Rumi Aoyama)

• Where are We Moving?:

  • Sino–Japanese Relations: From the “1972 Framework” to the “2006 Framework” (Ryosei Kokubun)
  • Power, Soft and Hard: The U.S., China and Northeast Asia in the Financial Crisis and the North Korea Problem (Shi Yinhong)

Readership: Graduates and researchers studying Sino-Japanese relations; government agencies and policy makers involved in regional cooperation, conflict management and security decisions.
Key Features:

• Focuses on regional security and the Sino-Japanese relations
• New approach to regional security, departing from bilateral relations and moving on to the need for regional structures and cooperation
• Contributors include leading scholars from Japan, China and the US. Offers insights that are both relevant for academics as well as the policy community