August 21,2013 Topics of the Month

The China Dream – 2

Chinese politics may be entering one of those intriguing periods. This monthly post tracks the development around President Xi Jinping’s “China Dream” since July 10, 2013, and responds to the comments by William Callahan and Gilbert Rozman. I agree with Callahan that there are different China dreams and Xi’s “China Dream” evolved partly from the previous value debates in China. Call..

Ming Wan
China Dream , Communist theory , Political Standing Committee , The American Dream , Xi Jinping
August 21,2013 Topics of the Month

Japan-Russia Relations – 2

Two commentaries were made by Iwashita Akihiro and Konstantin Sarkisov, both long-time experts on Japan-Russia relations whom I respect. Iwashita’s comments are mostly related to the evaluation of Japan-Russia relations from the Cold War to the present, obliging me to explain why I see certain things as I do and why I cannot agree with some of his points. First, I will start with responses to Sa..

Kazuhiko Togo
Alexander Panov , Hashimoto Ryutaro , International relations theory , Kawana proposal , Putin , Shinzo Abe , Yeltsin
August 02,2013 Open Forum

Negotiations between Japan and USSR/Russia on the Northern Territories: Lessons for the Abe-Putin Renewal of Talks

Many may be so weary of talk about negotiations on the territorial dispute between Tokyo and Moscow as nothing more than a broken record that they will be tempted to skip this article. To catch their attention, I am starting with three bold statements. First, the talks made considerable progress, especially in 2000-2001 under Putin, and came closer to reaching the point of testing whether a breakt..

Kazuhiko Togo
1956 Joint Declaration , Abe Shinzo , Investment , Natural Gas , Peace Treaty , Territorial Negotiations , Vladimir Putin
August 02,2013 Open Forum

Xi Jinping’s “China Dream”: Same Bed, Different Dreams?

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “China Dream” slogan has attracted much attention. It should. The remarks and actions by a rising power’s new leader normally attract attention because they provide clues about where he intends to lead his country. Xi’s “China Dream” is meant as the vision for China over the next decade and, perhaps, longer. Its significance for international relations ..

Ming Wan
China Dream , Peaceful Development , Xi Jinping
July 19,2013 Special Forum

National Identity and Changing Great Power Relations in the Asia-Pacific: Is a Cold War Emerging?

International relations in the Asia-Pacific have long been driven and dominated by great power politics. Despite the growing significance of smaller nations and regional organizations in East Asian affairs, the great powers remain the key actors in shaping the regional security environment. Arguably, China, the United States, and Japan are the most influential powers in shaping the security dynami..

Rex Li
Democratic Peace Theory , Global Financial Crisis , Japan as a Normal Power , Maritime Power , New Cold War , Strategic Encirclement
July 19,2013 Country Reports

Country Report: China (July 2013)

Country Report: China (with the assistance of Pang Zengjun) China’s newspapers, especially Global Times in its English edition, attracted increased attention in the first half of 2013 for their international relations views. Two topics have drawn the lion’s share of attention: North Korea and Japan. Both had piqued foreign interest previously. Japanese observers have closely followed them, ..

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Pang Zengjun)
Sino-Indian Relations , Sino-Japanese Relations , Sino-Russian Relations , Sinocentrism , Xi-Obama Summit , Xi-Park Summit
July 19,2013 Review Article

Russian Perceptions of Sino-Russian Relations

A.V. Lukin ed., Rossiia i Kitaia: chetyre veka vzaimodeistviia—istoriia, sovremennaia sostoianie i perspektivy razvitiia Rossiisko-kitaiskikh otnoshenii [Russia and China: Four centuries of interaction—history, contemporary conditions, and perspectives on the development of Russo-Chinese relations] (Moscow, Ves’ mir, 2013), 704. As Stephen Blank’s article in this issue’s Special Foru..

Gilbert Rozman
Civilizations , Multipolarity , New Cold War , Russian Schools of Thought , Sino-Russian Relations , Strategic Triangle
July 19,2013 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (July 2013)

Country Report: Japan (with the assistance of Iwaki Shigeyuki) After Prime Minister Abe’s visit in February to the United States, Japanese sources have flitted from one problem to another in the surrounding region, but with one abiding concern: Is there a way to overcome a feeling that their country is under siege? Writings continue to confirm the seriousness of the siege, as they give somewh..

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Iwaki Shigeyuki*)
Crisis of August 2012 , Japan-China Relations , Japan-South Korean Relations , Regionalism , Revisionism , Xi-Obama Summit , Xi-Park Summit
July 19,2013 Topics of the Month

Japan-Russia Relations – 1

Abe’s Visit to Moscow: Can It Become the Beginning of an End? Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s visit to Moscow on April 28-30, 2013, can generally be considered a “success,” which could be a real starting point for Japan and Russia to reach an agreement that has eluded them since the 1950s. Yet failure to act, as has occurred so many times in the past, could easily shut down this window of o..

Kazuhiko Togo
1956 Joint Declaration , Abe Shinzo , Investment , Natural Gas , Peace Treaty , Territorial Negotiations , Vladimir Putin
July 19,2013 Country Reports

Country Report: Russia (July 2013)

Country Report: Russia (with the assistance of Olga Puzanova) This is an ideal time for a debate about the balance of Russian foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific region. Nervousness about its economic prospects keeps growing with implications for its strategy to develop the Russian Far East, whose plight drew new attention in 2012 when Vladivostok hosted the APEC summit. China’s assertive fore..

Editorial Staff (with the assistance of Olga Puzanova)
India , Multipolarity , North Korea , Obama-Putin Summit , Sino-Russian Relations , Southeast Asia , Xi-Obama Summit