Rethinking China’s Relations with East Asian Powers: Old and New Problems

China has a complex relationship with its neighbours. With its increasing power, past problems have resurfaced, which will strain relationships between China and its neighbours. As its rise disturbs the balance of power within the region, Japan, South Korea and other regional powers will bear mixed feelings towards its growing regional influence. Despite China’s emphasis on a “peaceful rise”, the international system is always interpreted as a zero-sum game. From this perspective, China’s increasing influence in East Asia comes at the expense of other powers, as this article explains. By exploring both old and new problems between China and its East Asian neighbours, this article analyses the difficulties that China’s rise and other controversial issues in the region present.