Senkaku Islands

Mainland China is exerting increasing pressure on Taiwan following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, with the military countermeasures showing the possibility of the normalisation of military measures. Academic Qi Dongtao believes that in managing the Taiwan issue, mainland China will repeat its strategic determination and patience seen in handling the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands and the South China Sea.

Chinese academic Deng Qingbo examines the recent Alaska meeting between China and the US, and concludes that Japan plays a hidden but crucial role in how the China-US relationship is developing. As Japan has much to gain from conflicts and intense competition between China and the US, it may indulge in actions that could worsen such big power competition and land the world in a disastrous situation.

China's new law gives its coast guard greater powers in the South China Sea. However, is this in line with international law and expectations? Japanese academic Shin Kawashima explores the issue.

Those in China hoping that the Biden administration’s new broom will sweep US-China relations clean may be in for a disappointment. Truth be told, Trump’s words were harsh and actions brash, but his sentiments reflected the times. US academic Wu Guo unravels the true meaning of the Biden administration's “approach of patience” towards China.

With US President-elect Joe Biden all but ready to be installed in the White House in January, Japanese academic Masafumi Iida explores how the new administration might shape the US's relations with East Asia, especially in terms of the US's military presence in the Indo-Pacific region. He argues that it is necessary for the US to learn from the failures of the Obama administration in underestimating the prowess and ambitions of China.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga may have stolen a march on China by making an early move to secure President-elect Joe Biden’s support for any attack on the Senkaku islands or what the Chinese call Diaoyu islands. Even before he enters the White House, Biden seems comfortable reassuring Japan of America’s intention to uphold their commitments under the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security. Will this make China more defensive on the one hand, and more eager to court Biden on the other?

Despite synergies between Japan and China in the economic and technological spheres, Professor Shin Kawashima, University of Tokyo, argues that the hard line China maintains on security and historical issues will keep ties from warming.