Partners or rivals? Chinese perceptions of Japan's security strategy in the Asia‐Pacific region

Abstract

Both China and Japan are key players in the Asia‐Pacific region and their security relations will to a significant extent determine the peace and stability of the area. Based on a wide range of Chinese‐language sources, this article examines how China perceives Tokyo's regional security strategy since the end of the Cold War. It also provides a critical evaluation of Chinese perceptions of Japan and their policy implications. The article focuses on the views of the Chinese security specialists who play an important advisory role in China's foreign policy‐making process. While Chinese analysts’ interpretations of Japanese strategy in the Asia‐Pacific are shaped largely by the consideration of great power competition and the balance of power in the region, they do appreciate the relevance of domestic politics and economic factors to Japanese strategic thinking. Thus, despite a deep suspicion among Chinese policy elites of Japan's global and regional aspirations, Beijing has basically adopted a pragmatic approach to managing Sino‐Japanese relations over the past decade.