Rising China and Turbulent East Asia: Asianization of China?

The international order in E ast A sia has been anchored on four pillars. The first pillar is the 1952 S an F rancisco peace treaty between the U nited S tates and J apan. The US–J apan mutual defense treaty was signed and J apan became demilitarized and its foreign policy was oriented toward the U nited S tates. J apan adopted the “peace” constitution. The second is the US–C hina S hanghai C ommuniqué of 1972. In this document, N ixon and M ao agreed that neither of their countries nor any power should seek hegemony in the A sia– P acific region. The third pillar is the 1972 Sino–J apanese J oint D eclaration. C hina recognized the US–J apan military alliance and J apan, in turn, recognized C hina as the sole legitimate government. The last is the 1965 ROK–J apan treaty to normalize bilateral relations. J apan recognized the ROK as the sole legitimate government representing the K orean people and nullified the treaties that led to J apan's forceful annexation of K orea in 1910. In the 2010s, tensions and disputes between the U nited S tates and C hina and between C hina and J apan are undermining the four pillars of order. The U nited S tates, C hina, and J apan are now engaged in a dangerous power game to create a new international order in this turbulent region. C hina's foreign policy toward E ast A sia will be predicated on three strategies. C hina will resort to soft balancing in dealing with the U nited S tates, unilateralism with J apan, the P hilippines, and V ietnam, and multilateralism vis‐à‐vis the remaining countries in E ast A sia. “The A sianization of C hina” would be a solution for future peace and prosperity in this region.