ABSTRACT
The rise of China, both economically and politically, has major implications for power relations in Northeast Asia. In the development field, where China has seen double-digit growth for more than two decades, the Chinese economy is predicted to overtake the Japanese economy in terms of size in the near future. China is considered to be a growth engine, helping to put the world economy back on track since the recession of 2008–9. In the field of politics as well we see a more proactive China taking a bigger role in international society. The country is no longer sitting on the sidelines in international organizations but is becoming a more and more active participant in various multilateral forums, such as the Six-Party Talks with North Korea, where it is actually taking a leadership position. At the same time we have seen a USA that is scaling down its position in East Asia, bogged down as it is in problems in other parts of the world such as Iraq and Afghanistan. The recession in the US economy has aggravated this situation and turned the US leader's eyes to the fact that there are also internal domestic problems to be solved.
