Look at the mentality of the Japanese and see why there's no possibility of ever having a EU style institution.
Is there any possibility of an EU-style union or arrangement between China, Japan, and South Korea in the future?
PikeCowboy
Junior Member
I can understand the Koreans holding animosity against the Japanese but for the life of me I can't understand why the Japanese would feel the same way around. Is it to compensate for the guilt that they would otherwise have to acknowledge?
Or maybe, insinuates Chinese influence more deeply into the area?
And, not that the two are, by any means, mutually exclusive. I've often questioned why China has not (yet) pursued a strategy of a greater accumulation of Yen into its foreign currency reserve (at least publicly). This post might, in fact, be more relevant to the "China need a new geopolitical Doctrine?" forum? According to the consensus perspective, Chinese holdings of US currency/debt pose no threat to the US economy. Put simply, Chinese holdings comprise an insignificant percentage of the total foreign claims in USD.
However, the same would not be true were China to 'load up' on Japanese currency/debt. During the past decades, China has been gradually, but consistently, reduced its US holdings. By continuing this, and by exchanging roughly 36% of $ holdings (over time) for ¥, China could equal -at current levels- the whole amount of outstanding claims in ¥. It stands to reason that a reserve currency is far less stable if ~50% of the outstanding holdings are subject to a singular hostile leveraging. For those that observe historic international currency assaults, the British attempts to undermine the HK$ during the handover negotiations, and after the handover, should come to mind. Basically, China could attempt a hostile takeover of Japans foreign debt, and, in doing so, insinuate Chinese influence into Japanese fiscal, foreign, and domestic, policy.
Of course, the fact that the majority of Japanese public debt is held by Japanese banks could constitute a significant 'firewall' against such a strategy. Nevertheless, as the Chinese have, so far, managed to exploit the strengths of capitalism in order to grow China's economy, they might, now, focus on exploiting its weaknesses in order to expand China's influence. Now may be the time for the 'reserve currency' status that has been used, historically, as imperialism's, colonialism's, and capitalism's hammer to be transformed into socialism's anvil!
Mr T
Senior Member
1. There's a difference between views of a country (e.g. government and its policies) and its people. Polls do not always clearly distinguish between the two.
2. In answer to your second question, no. Until fairly recently views of Korea or Koreans (depending on the poll) in Japan weren't that bad. But the bust-up over the 2015 Japan-ROK settlement being cancelled by the current ROK government has caused relations to sour. You can blame the previous ROK government for not putting the deal to a referendum, but I'm not sure Tokyo could have insisted that step happen.
Eventually if someone says they dislike you and that you're a bad person enough times, eventually you'll say the same about them.
solarz
Brigadier
That was actually the norm for hundreds of years, from the Tang dynasty to late Ming.
Japan began holding ambitions of conquering China after Ming failed to effectively address the pirate problem that plagued its coast. Before that, it always followed whatever China did.
AssassinsMace
Lieutenant General
The problem with the EU is just one country can have veto power. That's how the US can and has exploited the EU. They used it when the US didn't like Sino/EU deals in the works. Just think RCEP. I don't know how the system works there but I can see a number of countries voting for what the US wants. Besides did the EU take on Trump? I said previous who's going to keep the US in check? They didn't step up. China is the only one left and it will have to be done through using China's economic might. Yeah it would be great if everyone worked honestly for peaceful co-existence but realistically that's not going to happen. That's why I said I'd rather be Chinese than anyone else because eventually they will ween off the US just on a matter of survival and China is the one that will benefit the most.
hi Gatekeeper,
Maybe its a generation thing? it requires a maverick kind of leader to move things forward. In Japan case with populace politically apathetic, all the politician need to do is maintain the status quo.
From the 3 countries, only China and from a certain degree SK , had implement drastic, political and economic reform from 1970 onward. Japan hasnt, this may partly explain the reluctant for any meaningful change in Japan.
Answer is definitely no. Maybe a financial union or trade union. But Japan and SK is too dependent on US military protection and market access. Maybe if the US dollar collapses or there is some civil unrests that leads to complete societal breakdoen in the US then will SK and Japan cry uncle.
I've reiterated the theory that US hegemonic power will decline not because it's adversaries erodes it. But more so because the US is a nation that is rotting internally due to racial and economic inequalities along with an ineffectual political class. Maintainig a global military hegemony and a high living sstandard requires debasement of the US dollar. Much like how the Soviet Union collapsed.
I've reiterated the theory that US hegemonic power will decline not because it's adversaries erodes it. But more so because the US is a nation that is rotting internally due to racial and economic inequalities along with an ineffectual political class. Maintainig a global military hegemony and a high living sstandard requires debasement of the US dollar. Much like how the Soviet Union collapsed.
Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
Ming did clean up the Fujian coast from Japanese pirate due to the briliant tactic of general Qi Jiguang
The first trial for Qi's new army came in 1559. After a month-long battle with wokou pirate in Taizhou Prefecture, the pirates suffered over 5,000 casualties, while Qi's army established a name for itself among both the people of Zhejiang and its enemies. Partly as a result of Qi's military success in Zhejiang, pirate activities surged in the province of . More than 10,000 pirates had established strongholds along the coast from in the north to in the south.
In July 1562, Qi Jiguang led 6,000 elite troops south into Fujian. Within two months, his army had eradicated three major lairs of wokou pirates at (橫嶼), (牛田) and (林墩). However, his own army also suffered significant losses to fighting and disease.
Seeing the pirate infestation in Fujian subdued, Qi then returned to Zhejiang to regroup. The pirates took the opportunity to invade Fujian again, this time succeeding in conquering Xinghua (興化, present day ).
In April 1563, Qi Jiguang led 10,000 troops into Fujian and reclaimed Xinghua. Over the next year, a series of victories by Qi Jiguang's army finally saw the pirate problem in Fujian resolved.
In September 1565, a major battle against wokou pirates was fought on the island of , which lies near the boundary between the provinces of Fujian and . There Qi joined arms with his old comrade Yu Dayou again to defeat the remnant of the combined Japanese and Chinese pirate force.
