The rise of China in Asia: Japan at the nexus

The complexity of China’s rise is well expressed in its aspiration for “a new model of major power relations,” which simultaneously seeks a peaceful coexistence with the United States and a new Asian order with a strong China back in its traditional, central place. Japan is situated at the nexus of this dual nature of China’s rise. This is a natural extension of Deng Xiaoping’s strategy, which used courageous open-door and reform policies and the emphasis on the modern history of humiliation as new sources of legitimacy and unity. Recently, amid a worsening vicious cycle compounded by the phenomenon of a “normalizing” Japan and the aggravation of Chinese nationalism, the “Senkaku/Diaoyu” dispute has come to signify a virtual clash of paradigms over preferred regional orders. In the coming years, a strategy of cooperation with China’s neighbors is needed for Japan with a long-term view of coexisting peacefully with China.