ABSTRACT
The US-China rapprochement that occurred in the early 1970s had a major impact on the entire region. Japan normalized diplomatic relations with China following Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka’s visit to the country in 1972. It was a move that seemed to threaten President Suharto, who had seized power by persecuting Communists in Indonesia. For him, Japan’s rapprochement with Communist China was an alarming development, which also raised concerns that Japan would shift its aid and investment from Indonesia to China. Suharto sought to apply the brakes by enlisting Australia to create a trilateral framework of cooperation among Japan, Indonesia and Australia. The reconciliation between Japan and China was an event that triggered changes in the relationships of other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
