Abstracts for Volume 3 of Peace and Development in 2014

Study on East Asian Geopolitical Strategy: Obama’s Visit to Japan and Sino-US-Japan Trilateral Relations

[Abstract] Obama visited Japan to promote the US’s rebalancing strategy in Asia. Obama supported for Japan’s constitutional reform and lifting the ban on collective self-defense for the purpose of controlling East Asia by relying on the political, military, and security power of Japan. However, as an important part of the rebalancing strategy, TPP was not reached during the visit of Obama and this came as a diplomatic failure for the US. Taking advantage of the US’s rebalancing strategy, Japan resurrected national militarism and won the support of the US for the removal of political and legal obstacles to the normalization of the country. The strengthened US-Japan alliance forces China to make a strong response and focus on the building of a new strategic layout.

[Key words] Obama’s visit to Japan, lifting the ban on collective self-defense, Sino-US-Japan relations

[The author] Lin Xiaoguang, professor of Institute of International Strategic Studies of Party School of CPC Central Committee, visiting professor at Research Center for Japanese Studies in Tsinghua University, and Ph.D. of law

[Received date] 2014-05-22

Same Action and Two Logic: Logical Fallacy of Japan’s Policies on the Diaoyu Islands and the Northern Territories

[Abstract] Currently, Japan runs into territorial disputes with three countries, and the issues of Diaoyu Islands with China and the Northern Territories with Russia were both suspended. However, Japan responded differently to these two suspended disputes. One the one hand, Japan agreed to suspend the issue of the Northern Territories; on the other hand, it did not hesitate to distort the historical archives to deny the consensus between China and Japan to suspend the issue. This extreme utilitarianism of ignoring the fact is an essential feature of Japan’s diplomacy. However, there is always only one truth, and ignoring the fact exposes the contradictory statements of Japan on the issues of Diaoyu Islands and the Northern Territories. This can be a breakthrough point to punch the lies of Japan and clear away the obstacles to the development of Sino-Japanese relations.

[Key words] Diaoyu Islands, Northern Territories, suspended disputes, Responses to Questions on the Issues of Diaoyu Islands

[The author] Li Ruoyu, postdoctoral in the Institute of Japanese Studies of CASS

[Received date] 2014-04-24

Changes in International Political Landscape and Sino-Africa Relations: Challenges and Responses

[Abstract] In the new century, the economy in Africa develops rapidly. As this process is constantly deepened, South-South cooperation has become one of the important forces driving the evolution of the international landscape. All the major countries of the world have adjusted their policies towards Africa, seeking to expand their interests in Africa and their international influence. The competition among big powers in Africa becomes fiercer. The new features of the international political environment, new changes in the development status of China and Africa, and new strategic adjustments of big powers towards Africa bring both challenges and opportunities for the development of Sino-Africa relations. Thus, China should properly address these new trends and plan its future diplomatic policies and strategies towards Africa.

[Key words] international political landscape, Sino-Africa relations, South-South cooperation, North-South African relations

[The author] Chen Jimin, associate research fellow in Institute for International Strategic Studies of Party School of the Central Committee of CPC

[Received date] 2014-05-27

Domestic and Foreign Policies of the New Modi Government and Trends of Indian’s Relations with China

[Abstract] BJP won in the recent national election and returned to power after a lapse of ten years. Modi, the new prime minister, will open a new chapter in the contemporary Indian history. The governing idea of the new government focuses on invigorating the economy, with easing sectarian conflicts and other social conflicts as its main task and with good and honest governance as an important means. In foreign affairs, the new Indian government will strive to improve relations with neighboring countries and strengthen relations with East Asia, Russia, China and the United States to greatly enhance the strategic position of India for playing a greater role on the international stage.

[Key words] India, Prime Minister Modi, domestic and foreign policies, relations with China

[The author] Ma Jiali, executive deputy director and researcher in Strategic Research Center of China Reform Forum

[Received date] 2014-06-04

Reflections on Building New Big-Power Relationship between China and India

[Abstract] The bilateral relations of China and India have marched forward in the twists and turns since they established diplomatic relations 60 years ago. In recent years, China and India have overcome the Cold War mentality, India’s nuclear test crisis, the Sino-Indian border dispute, and other factors that are not conducive to the development of bilateral relations and considerable progress has been made in the field of economic cooperation. As the bilateral strategic mutual trust is deepened and the strategic partnership is furthered, building a new big-power relationship has become the consensus of China and India. However, the ultimate realization of the new big-power relationship will have to go through a lengthy and difficult process. This is mainly because: from the perspective of geopolitical security, border disputes, Tibet of China, and the strategic interests in the Indian Ocean will plague bilateral relations for a long term; from the perspective of external factors, the trilateral relations of China, India, and Pakistan will also restrict the development of Sino-India relations for a long term.

[Key words] China, India, new pattern of big power relationship

[The author] Hu Erjie, lecturer of Department of International Relation in PLA University of International Relations and Ph.D. of law

[Received date] 2014-03-24

On the Construction of the Sino-Indian Multilateral Diplomacy Cooperation Mechanism

[Abstract] This paper emphasizes the need for China and India to maintain cooperation in multilateral diplomacy; it reviewed the construction progress of multilateral mechanisms including Sino-Indian bilateral coordination mechanism and the “BRICS”; it then proposed the initiative to launch cooperation through Sino-Indian strategic dialogue and build Sino-Indian multilateral diplomacy cooperation mechanism through the consensus of the “BRICS” mechanism under the Group of Twenty and the framework of the United Nations.

[Key words] China, India, multilateral diplomacy, cooperation mechanism

[The author] Ran Jie, doctoral candidate in South Asia Institute of Sichuan University; Xiang Hongmei, associate professor of College of Foreign Languages and Cultures of Chengdu University of Technology

[Received date] 2014-03-28

Evaluating US Military Strategic Adjustments from the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review

[Abstract] On March 4, 2014, the US Department of Defense released a new version of Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). The report was in the same strain of the defense strategy guide released in January 2012. It provided a basic plan of the Obama administration’s overall military strategy and defense policy. QDR systematically introduced the new changes in the security environment of the United States and described three major tasks of the US military - to defend the local territory, to create global security, to maintain military delivery, and to win in battles, indicating the direction for strategic transformation of the US military.

[Key words] The US, rebalancing, military strategy, Quadrennial Defense Review

[The author] Chu Shaofeng, lecture of International Strategy Institute in PLA International Relation College

[Received date] 2014-04-05

Analysis on the Influence of the US on Vietnam in the Post-Cold War Period

[Abstract] After the Cold War, the United States continued to strengthen the relations with Vietnam for reasons of increasing its geopolitical influence and peaceful evolution in Vietnam. In this context, the degree of socially westernized Vietnam was deepened and its confidence in depending on the United States to counter China was increased, which became an important pivot for the United States’ “Back to Asia” and its increased influence in Southeast Asia. However, it should be noted that the strategy of “balancing the big powers” in Vietnam determined the limitation of US-Vietnam cooperation and the different understandings of the United States towards its relations with Vietnam also restricted the deep development of US-Vietnam relations.

[Key words] Post-Cold War period, the United States, Vietnam, US-Vietnam relations

[The author] Jiang Guoxue, researcher of Development Research Center of the Asia-Pacific Region in Guangdong Province and Ph.D. of Southeast Asian Studies; Du Sheng, associate researcher of Development Research Center of the Asia-Pacific Region in Guangdong Province

[Received date] 2014-04-05

On the Public Opinion War over Crimea’s Membership into Russian Federation

[Abstract] In March 2014, the Crimean parliament declared independence from Ukraine to join the Russian Federation, a move that was strongly opposed by Ukraine, the United States and the European Union; the UN General Assembly voted for the invalidity of this Crimean referendum; Russia took a tough stance to announce acceptance of Crimea. In the event, Russia, Ukraine, the United States and the EU ran into a multi-wrestling and staged a dramatic battle by accusing each other and fighting for public support through the media. Analysis of the basic characteristics and success/failure of this public opinion war can help understand the power and publicity effects of political propaganda in an emergency event and therefore is of great practical significance.

[Key words] Crimea, membership into Russian Federation, political propaganda, debate

[The author] Liu Ying, doctoral candidate in Basic Principle of Marxism in School of Public Administration of Hunan Normal University; Ma Lu, postgraduate in Science of Military Political Work in school of Humanities and Social Sciences in National University of Defense Technology

[Received date] 2014-05-20