The Abe Administration’s Competition And Coordination Policy Towards China

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to China in October 2018 marks the beginning of a shift in Japan’s policy towards China from competition to coordination.This paper considers Abe’s policy towards China in the nearly eight years since he came to power for the second time,his policy towards China in the early period(2012-2017)tends to compete against China policy,and in the later period(2017-2020)tends to coordinate with China.A comprehensive review of the Abe government’s policy towards China can not only recognize the Abe government’s strategic approach to China,but also explore Japan’s strategic orientation towards China.This paper argues that Abe’s policy of“competition” towards China is essentially a tough one,which appears to be the“nationalization” of the disputed territories of China and Japan,the construction of regional strategic counterbalances China that attempts to form an anti-China“circle of siege”,manipulates the disputes of the surrounding area against China,denies the history of aggression in order to seek breakthrough constitutional ban to lift the right to collective self-defence,competes economically with China and causes tension between the two countries.As for Abe’s policy of “coordination” towards China,this paper considers it to be essentially a mitigation policy,adjusting the ambiguity of the surrounding strategy and blurring confrontation with China,avoiding the strategic competitive risks of China and the United States to adjust the policy towards China,easing the surrounding tension between the two countries in non-traditional security areas,and carrying out Sino-Japanese economic cooperation with reservations to jointly develop the third market.This paper also explores the reasons for the Abe government’s policy of“competition” and “coordination” towards China.The pursuit of political power status by following the “Asia-Pacific rebalancing strategy”of the United States is the main reason for its policy of “competition” towards China,and the main driving force of its “coordination” policy towards China is the demand of domestic political and economic development.In short,under the strategic competition between China and the United States,the choice of Japan’s role positioning influences Japan’s policy towards China.The adjustment of Abe’s government’s policy towards China mainly occurs in the economic field,while in the political field,it gradually recognized the rise of China,and in the security field,it is still committed to building the US-Japan alliance to balance China.Relations between China and Japan were strained in the early days of Abe’s administration,and were stable in the latter stages of his administration.