On Non-traditional Security Cooperation And The Relief Of Sino-Japanese Security Dilemma

Sino-Japanese relation is one of the most important bilateral relations in East Asia. But they regard each other as a threat for a long time. Japan put forward the "China threat theory", and China also worries the resurrection of Japanese militarism, Militarily, due to the the territorial dispute, two sides are against each other and fall into a vicious cycle of containment. Obviously, there is a security dilemma between the two countries. Sino-Japanese security dilemma is the biggest obstacle to the development of bilateral relations, as well as a risk factors that affect peace and stability of East Asia, due to the important position of the two countries in region political and economic structure. To relieve the security dilemma is the need of China’s peaceful rise and the request of promoting the region’s peace and stability. The factors that leads to the Sino-Japanese security include the lack of effective regional security cooperation institution, the conflicts about security interest, the long-term mutual distrust and communication failure between them. According to international relations theories, there are several methods to relieve security dilemma, such as cooperation to deal with common threats, building international institutions and cultivating positive identification. Theoretically, the NTS cooperation can realize the three ways of relieving security dilemma, namely, it is an effective way to handle common threats and it can help building international institutions and cultivating positive identity. As we put it to the Sino-Japanese security dilemma, it can exert an influence on relieving the security dilemma through three ways. In coping with common threats, it has had an obvious effect on relieving the security dilemma, for it promoted the mutual political trust and the traditional security cooperation between the two countnes.In building international institutions, it promoted the establishment of cooperation institutions in East Asia. These cooperation institutions enhance the communication between the two countries and provide third-party platforms for the two countries to build the trust, besides that, some institutions have spilled over to traditional security, therefore it has had an effect on relieving the dilemma. In cultivating positive identity, it changed the resentment between two governments and the publics to some extent, improved political and civil relations between two countries and opened up a new channels for two countries’people to communicate with each other. All in all, it can contribute to the establishment of friendly relations between two countries, that can lay a good foundation to alleviate the security dilemmaIn conclusion, to strengthen the NTS cooperation can alleviate this dilemma, but the level of its institutionalization should be improved. Moreover, two countries should enhance the cooperation on some special NTS fields which closely to traditional security and upgrade the NTS cooperation to strategic level to promote the effect spill over to traditional security fields, so that the relieving effect of NTS cooperation can be boosted.