Sino-Japan interdependencies & security concerns in Northeast Asia

Abstract

China and Japan are powerful neighbours in the Northeast Asia region, with both sharing long but rather tremulous history of interactions, dominations and conflicts. Despite some levels of culture and economic interdependencies between them, mutual suspicions and expression of animosity has beleaguered their relations over the past century. In the post Cold War period, despite China's emerging new role in the international front both economically and politically, many are still wary of China's international ambitions, which brought about the debate of the China Threat theory. Conversely, Japan has continued its dependency on US naval support for its sovereignty. These new security dynamics coupled with the non-proliferation issues in the Korean peninsula and conflict in the Taiwanese straits has brought about renewed security interests amongst scholars and policy makers to this region. The paper will scrutinize the Sino-Japan relations, in-relation to the security dynamics of Northeast Asia in the post Cold War era. In addition to discussing key issues that impact on Sino-Japanese relations, the paper will attempt to provide a macro view to the security dynamics in this region, with careful considerations of all other important mitigating security factors at impact the region.