Abstracts

TheSituationofNortheastAsiain2022:ReviewandProspect

LIWen,LIShihao

Abstract: In 2022, due to the COVID-19 epidemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the unprecedented changes unseen in a century are accelerating, and the situation in Northeast Asia is intertwined with chaos. Against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the U.S. has identified China as its only competitor and attempt to contain against China on all fronts economically, diplomatically, militarily and technologically. China-Russia relations are steadily developing, while U.S.-Russia relations seem to move toward confrontation and breakup in an irreversible manner. The U.S.-Japan and U.S.-ROK relations are getting closer. The “trust deficit”between China and Japan remains high, but both sides have agreed on the need to work together to maintain peaceful coexistence. Developments in different fields of China-ROK relations are still unbalanced. Yet there is a tendency to get back on track. The tension in Korean Peninsular is still increasing. The RCEP has come into force to promote economic and trade cooperation among China, Japan and ROK, bringing a new look in economic and trade cooperation in Northeast Asia. Looking ahead to 2023, it will be unlikely for China-U.S. relations to improve and for China-Russia relations to deteriorate, but high-level contacts and dialogues among China, Japan and ROK are expected to increase, and the cracks in mutual relations will be repaired to a certain extent as the people-to-people exchanges and humanistic exchanges affected by the epidemic will be gradually restored, and it is possible that the tensions in Northeast Asia will be eased to a certain extent.

Keywords: the year 2022; Russia-Ukraine conflict; China-U.S. relations; China-Japan-ROK cooperation; situation of Northeast Asia

AnAnalysisofRegimeComplexityintheAsia-PacificRegion

RENLin，ZHANGZunyue

Abstract: The game and competition of great powers have intensified the international institutional choice and institutional shaping behavior of all countries, and the global governance system has entered a period of disintegration and remodeling. After the world’s economic center has shifted from west to east, the Asia-Pacific region has become a new arena for great powers to compete for institution. The game around the global governance institutions focus on the key region of Asia-Pacific, the regime complexity formed by the institutional game in this region and its influence will also spill over to the international level in different degrees, shaping the phenomenon of regime complexity in a wider range, wider field and deeper degree. Therefore, it is particularly necessary to make an in-depth analysis of the regime complexity in the region under the new situation. Four groups of actors such as hegemony countries, emerging countries, regional national league, and allies of hegemony are involved in shaping the regime complexity of the Asia-Pacific region. By analyzing the institutional selection, the institutional construction of each actor and the phenomenon of regional regime complexity that caused by the comprehensive effect, It can provide essential reference for China to participate in and shape regional governance and even global governance system .

Keywords: regime complexity; small circle diplomacy; China-U.S. relations; regional governance; global governance

TheReconstructionofGlobalValueChainandJapaneseIndustrialCircles’response

WANGWan

Abstract: The Japanese industrial circles believe that the reconstruction of global value chain not only meets the demands of the development of the digital economy, green economy and others, but also includes American “decoupling” actions that are aimed at maintaining its own advantages. The goal of Japanese companies in the deployment of global value chain in the future will shift from focusing on efficiency to prioritizing geopolitical risks. The Japanese industrial circles point out that the U.S. ,with the assistance of its allies, seeks for a “partial and selective decoupling”, rather than a “comprehensive decoupling”, with China, which have multiple purposes such as preventing a third party from benefiting from the situation. The Japanese government should not blindly follow American lead but should ensure the independence of its own. The Japanese industrial circles suggest that the government achieve “two balances”, namely the balance between China and the U.S. and the balance between economic security and economic activities. They also propose the establishment of a “neutral supply chain” and “dual supply chain” as well as other specific measures.

Keywords: global value chain reconstruction; Japanese industrial circles; economic security policy; two balances; countermeasures

TheDilemmaofRussia’sForeignExchangeReservesandItsImpacts

XUWenhong

Abstract: Under the globalization led by the U.S. and Europe and the international monetary system dominated by the U.S. dollar, all countries have a certain amount of foreign exchange reserves in economic and trade activities. Therefore, foreign exchange reserve is a financial problem of managing foreign exchange assets, maintaining and appreciating foreign exchange assets. With the recent geopolitical turmoil, the United States has increasingly weaponized financial instruments as a means of suppressing other countries. since the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the U.S., EU and some other countries has imposed financial sanctions on Russia, highlighting the dilemma of Russia’s foreign exchange reserves. The U.S. and EU’s financial sanctions against Russia and Russia’s anti-sanctions measures centering on “Ruble payment order” will produce various reactions, and the international monetary pattern will soon face new changes.

Keywords: U.S.-Russia relations; U.S. dollar hegemony; financial sanctions; De-dollarization； foreign exchange reserve; switch to Euro

AStudyonBreakingtheDilemmaofDevelopmentontheKoreanPeninsulathroughEconomicCooperation

LITianguo

Abstract: The security dilemma on the Korean Peninsula is an important factor affecting the economic cooperation in Northeast Asia. At present, the lack of mutual trust between the DPRK and some countries has significantly raised the cost of economic development for DPRK, ROK and other countries. The rising uncertainty in Northeast Asia has increased the foreign trade and investment risks of countries in the region. With the changes in the international situation, North Korea is changing its national development strategy, and its willingness to develop its economy is becoming stronger. In the face of repeated setbacks in traditional negotiation methods, it is necessary to strengthen economic cooperation to break the development dilemma on the Korean Peninsula. Against the backdrop of international sanctions, the international community can strengthen cooperation with the DPRK on epidemic prevention and control, natural disasters and food supply. In the long term, DPRK and ROK should consider restarting the Kaesong Industrial complex, while the North steps up its efforts to attract foreign investment through special economic zones and development zones. North Korea can also gradually participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and work with other countries in Northeast Asia to build a Northeast Asia economic cooperation corridor.

Keywords: Korean Peninsula; economic cooperation; security dilemma; development difficulties; Northeast Asia economic cooperation corridor

Japan-MongoliaEconomicRelationsfor50Years:fromAssistancetoStrategicPartnership

WULANTuya

Abstract: Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between Japan and Mongolia in 1972, the development of economic relations between the two countries can be roughly divided into three periods. From the establishment of diplomatic ties between Japan and Mongolia to the early 1990s, the two countries maintained loose economic relations. In the decade after the end of the Cold War, Japan’s assistance to Mongolia has promoted the reform process of Mongolia’s democratization as well as its economic development. Since 2000, Japan-Mongolia relations have gradually entered a new stage, especially after the signing of the Economic Cooperation Agreement, bilateral economic relations have been upgraded to the level of strategic cooperation. Today, under the geopolitical pattern of Northeast Asia, Japan-Mongolia economic relations are being involved in the trend of global value chain reconstruction.

Keywords: Japan-Mongolia relations; economic relations; official development assistance(ODA); strategic cooperation

“TheRally-around-the-flagEffect”intheChina-JapanConflict:CharacteristicsandEffectsofJapan’sInvolvementintheTaiwanIssue

CAILiang

Abstract: At the present stage, “the rally-around-the-flag effect” of the Taiwan issue in the China-Japan conflict becomes increasingly prominent, which is mainly a diplomatic choice made by Japan to take advantage of the situation under the background of China-U.S. strategic competition. As a result, Japan’s “major and minor preconditions” for dealing with the Taiwan issue are suffering a structural shock. The “major and minor preconditions” mean that maintaining official contacts with mainland China is the “major precondition”, while maintaining unofficial practical contacts with Taiwan is the “minor precondition”. At the present stage, in order to realize the goal of “using Taiwan to contain China”, Japan follows the U.S. and deeply involves in the Taiwan issue by taking values as the starting point, actively looking for “justified reasons” for intervening in the Taiwan issue, making use of various international occasions to create international public opinion for deeper involvement in the Taiwan issue and repeated weaken the “one China” principle by mobilizing the powerful “pro-Taiwan” forces in the Japanese political circles.

Keywords: Taiwan issue; China-Japan relations; the rally-around-the-flag effect; major and minor preconditions; value

TheReasonsforJapan’sNegativePublicOpiniononChinaandthePossibilityofChangesBasedonSurveyData

ZHANGYuebin

Abstract: Entering in the 21st century, Japan’s public opinion on China has experienced three rapid deterioration processes, which seriously affected the development of China-Japan relations. The reason lies in the deliberate misleading of the Japanese right-wing and government, the reporting of media, the obedience of Japanese to the U.S. and the frustration and vulnerability of Japanese social psychology during the transition period. Meanwhile, strong economic ties between China and Japan will contribute to a more rational and balanced way of Japanese society to review bilateral relations, the plasticity of public opinion in Japan can become the social basis of China-Japan positive interaction, and new understanding of some Japanese elites on the issue of China may make a chance to reverse the negative public opinion on China. In the long run, Japan’s negative public opinion on China can be restrained or even improved to some extent, which is worthy of joint efforts by the two countries.

Keywords: Japan; negative public opinion; reasons; changes

ChineseIntellectuals’CognitionandCriticismoftheJapaneseMilitaryHeadquartersduringtheAnti-JapaneseWar

LIUShuliang

Abstract: During the Anti-Japanese War, the research of Chinese intellectual circles on the Japanese military headquarters reflected a very obvious sense of the times. The intellectuals had conducted multi angle discussions on the Japanese military headquarters and profoundly revealed the feudalism, aggression and inevitable self destruction of the Japanese military headquarters. These research results provided many materials for the Chinese government and citizens to correctly understand the Japanese military headquarters at that time, and exposed the aggressive nature of Japanese militarism, became an important part of China’s public opinion war against Japan. Those research results also have strong academic rationality, which have deeply influenced the Japanese military headquarters reflects in contemporary Chinese academic circles. Some research perspectives and viewpoints have been inherited and developed by scholars of later generations. Today, the deepening studies of the war of resistance against Japanese aggression still has high reference value.

Keywords: Japanese military headquarters; Chinese intellectual circles; the Anti-Japanese War；Journal of the Republic of China; public opinion warfare against Japan

TheRebuildingof“OverseasKoreanStudies”inROK:fromOne-wayPropagationtoMulti-directionalInteraction

WANGXiaoling,DONGXiangrong

Abstract: It was in the 1990s when Korea began to consciously build “Korean studies” abroad. South Korea initially saw “overseas Korean studies” as part of public diplomacy to boost the country’s image. In this process, relevant Korean institutions actively provide financial and human support for the development of “Korean studies abroad”, and spread the research results of “Korean studies” in Korea to other countries. However, such a building “overseas Korean” is difficult to integrate into the global academic discourse system, South Korea had to “Korean” nationalism and globalization “unipolar” thought for reflection, begin to advocate the practice of South Korea, the excavation has the general research topic in the world, build suitable for the national, regional and global level of knowledge, Strive to make Korean culture become an important element in the global multicultural.The construction of “overseas Korean studies” in Korea turns to interdisciplinary, cross-regional and multi-dimensional interaction.

Keywords: Korean studies; overseas Korean studies; One-way communication; multi-directional Interaction

AnAnalysisofDefectsintheDesignofJapaneseElectoralSystemandTheirImpacts

HEXiaosong

Abstract: After many years of reform, the opposition parties in Japan remain still too weak to play the role of monitoring and checking the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and the party system is still the multi-party system of “one party dominates” by the LDP, and it is impossible to establish a party system in which parties take turns in governing. The lack of uniform number of seats in the electoral districts between the House of Representatives and the local assembly election system makes it difficult for political parties to establish solid local organizations in the local assembly elections. The local assembly elections are mostly based on the single register non-transferable voting system, namely, the large electoral district system or the medium electoral district system, and candidates mainly rely on personal support groups and “serial relationships.” Due to the weak local organization of the party, the LDP has failed to establish of a clean government by engaging in profit-induced politics. Moreover, the policy positions of national congress candidates are not close to those of median voters, and the positions of individual support groups and local lawmakers in the “serial relationship” affect the policy positions of national congress candidates.

Keywords: Japanese politics; defects in design of electoral system; non-uniform number of seats in the electoral district； local organizations; party policy; median voter