ABSTRACT
China has rapidly expanded its outreach to the world in terms of its economy, diplomacy, and military affairs, and also seeks to increase its influence abroad. Contemporary China is recognized as a great power with global aspirations, which has affected the relationship between Japan and China. According to the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) world trade ranking,
China ranked sixth for global exports in 2001 (contribution towards global exports was 4.31 percent) and ranked third in 2008 (contribution towards global exports was 9.05 percent). From 2001 to 2008, China expanded its exports by 5.4 times and its share of global export by 2.1 times. In 2001, China ranked sixth for global imports (contribution towards global import was 3.77 percent), and in 2008 ranked third (contribution towards global imports was 7.03 percent). Thus, China has expanded 4.7 times in their monetary transactions and 1.9 times in their share in the imports. Dating back to China’s accession to the WTO, the economic relationship
between Japan and China has been developing. Japan’s export to China has increased from 7.7 percent to 16.0 percent and ranked second in 2001 and 2008, respectively doubling in the share and the monetary transactions of Japan’s export to China. Japan’s import from China ranked first in 2008 (the share was 18.8 percent), an increase from second place in 2001 (the share was 14.5 percent); China’s export increased 3.1 times and its import increased 1.3 times. Is China’s rise as a commercial and military power an opportunity, challenge, or
threat to Japan? There is never one single answer to this question. The Japan-China relation has never been a zero-sum game. The impact of China’s rise contains a chance, challenge, and threat for Japan. The Japan-China relation is moving to a new stage as China raises its international status and integrates national power. This chapter examines how China’s rise has impacted and wielded an influence over the Japan-China relation from the Japanese perspective.
