Shifting Between Friend and Enemy: The US-China-Japan Triangle

The aim of this article is to systematically analyze strategies of the United States, China, and Japan, namely the "Pacific Three". Its focus is on the dynamics of the relationship (such as competition, cooperation, and conflict) between the Pacific Three, examining each country's strategic considerations and the policymaking process. Under the "micro-macro linkage" approach and combining external and domestic factors, this article first looks at five factors causing the change of relationships in international politics and then examines three stages of historical interaction (with eight junctures) between the Pacific Three. It further depicts power transition scenarios between the rising power (China) and the dominant power (the United States), and discusses the complicated relations between China and Japan, so that we can get a comprehensive understanding of great power strategies, as well as the US-China-Japan triangle.