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Agree to Disagree

China is frequently regarded as a rising power, which challenges the United State’s dominant position in the International System. Theory, as well as history suggests this to be a dangerous situation and there have been calls from Chinese leaders for a new type of great power relations. Perhaps the major challenge for this new type of power relations, is the relation between the U.S.A.- Japan – and China.

China recently expressed rather clear views on that relationship during its military parade in honour of the 70’s anniversary of the Chinese victory over Japan, also expressed through the strong words of President Xi Jinping at the same event. While the speech exhibited a particularly strong rhetoric, its aspects were not new. In fact, similar language can be found in a People’s Daily article as old as the 3rd of March 1971, showing that Japan has played a role for Chinese foreign policy considerations for a while. Especially in terms of the Chinese historiographical memory, the picture of Japan has stayed remarkably stable. In fact, the Chinese core assumption, that it has been the “victim of international aggression” and a “unique and continuing neuralgia toward Tokyo” consistently constitute Chinese intentions on the international field. The continuity with which this thematic reappears in Chinese public discourse does not suggest, that they are bound to change any time soon.

At the same time, Japan continues to be one of the most important strategic allies of the United States in the East Asian region. In fact, for the United States, the alliance of the two states fore most represents a guaranty for the regional Balance of Power and thus stability. However, following the Chinese rationale on Japan, if the U.S.A. doesn’t recognize Japan as an aggressor, it subsequently cannot recognize China as a victim, making the American