Chinese Apprehensions about Revitalization of the U.S.-Japan Alliance

Abstract

The interaction between China and Japan as well as their relations with the United States will be critical in determining the future of the Asia-Pacific region in the 21st century. Protracted tensions or conflict between Beijing and Tokyo could destabilize the region and strain U.S. bilateral ties with one or both countries. Efforts by the United States to strengthen relations with one power may strain ties with the other or between the two. This triangular dynamic is especially evident in China's reaction to steps taken by Washington to revitalize and reshape the U.S.-Japan alliance for the post-Cold War era and in Japan's uneasiness about improvements in SinoAmerican relations. The triangular relationship among China, Japan and the United States is complicated by Washington's asymmetrical ties with Japan and China. Japan is a long-standing and close American ally despite chronic differences over trade and other issues. The U.S.-Japan alliance is a keystone of the U.S. strategic position in Asia as well as Asia-Pacific security and stability. The United States recently has sought to strengthen and broaden the alliance, maintain Tokyo's confidence in the U.S. commitment to Japan's security, and cooperate closely with the Japanese on regional security issues, including mutual concerns about China's rising power and assertive behavior. China on the other hand is a former quasi-ally with which the U.S. maintained close strategic cooperation against the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s. Since the Tiananmen massacre of 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet Union, China has become a nation which is neither friend nor foe of the United States. The U.S. has a number of chronic bilateral disputes with China as well as a wide range of common interests. Although Sino-U.S. ties have become more