East Asians are particularly divided as a cultural group, in this regard. The distance between Slavs and other Europeans is probably the same as between Chinese and Koreans / Japanese, but the latter two groups are vehemently opposed to being associated with Chinese and would rather go down in flames with the West.
We shall not even mention the Taiwanese.
Yes much of this is also due to bad blood from World War 2 & divide & conquer tactics from the West. But the fact is there is almost zero feelings of “common identity” between East Asian nations that’d require the West to fear a unified East Asia. The idea of Japan or South Korea ever threatening to leave the US sphere for China’s based on shared heritage is so absurd that US strategists basically take them for granted, it’s comically sad to see.
People in East Asia generally trust in progress and stability, they will like anyone who can provide it, and the sentiments change very fast.
Remember most of Asia (especially the south) collaborated willingly with Imperial Japan, they don't fight to the death. Only Chinese and Japanese do. The Japanese ethnicity is like one of the many northeast Asian fellow ethnicities that fought on until they were integrated into the Han ethnicity. While SEA are servile to anyone who storms in and shows they have guns.
Asian unification is imho much closer than most people think. In a crisis where they have to choose China or US, they have no choice but to bend to China, and once they do it politically, there's very little culturally holding them apart.
