Liou Analyzes the Impact of Territorial Disputes on Northeast Asia

In a public lecture at the Center for Conflict, Negotiation and Recovery on November 20, Professor To-hai Liou from National Chengchi University outlined how the Senkaku-Diaoyutai Islands dispute between Japan and China has destabilized the geopolitical order in Northeast Asia. "This dispute has had political, economic, and strategic effects on the region," Liou emphasized.

Liou tracked the development of this dispute starting in the 1970s through its rise to prominence in 2010. From the 1970s until the 2000s, Japan and China had convergent national interests that made it convenient for both sides to avoid confrontation regarding the islands. By 2010, the islands reemerged as a major issue in Sino-Japanese relations due to the China's growing assertiveness in the region and the American "pivot to Asia" according to Liou.

Taking care to address the national concerns of Japan and China, Liou outlined a variety of political and economic factors for decisions and reactions since 2010. "The rise of China put considerable pressure on Japan as the 'leader' of Asia," Liou noted. He argued that China's rise has come at the cost of Japanese supremacy in the region both politically and economically. The changing dynamics in the region have destabilized the Sino-Japanese relationship and exacerbated the Senkaku-Diaoyutai Islands dispute.

Liou concluded that the Sino-Japanese territorial dispute is less important now as China has evolved to be the leader in the Asia-Pacific region. Under President Xi Jinping, "China has shifted from geopolitics to geo-economics." Signing free trade agreements with most U.S. allies in the region, China is exerting its influence throughout the continent on diverse topics from inter-Korea summits to claims on islands in the South China Sea.