A New Look at the U.S.-China-Japan Triangle: Toward Building a Stable Framework

Major trends and events, both in world politics and in domestic politics, have changed the context of U.S.-Chinese- Japanese relations and given all three countries powerful incentives to cooperate. As a result, triangular relations have improved dramatically, both in substance and in tone, and a window of opportunity has opened for all three countries to build a lasting foundation for concord. This task is complicated, however, by lingering misperceptions, incompatible calculations of long-term advantage, and conflicts with deep historical and ideational roots. Building a stable framework will require enlightened political leadership on all three sides—a commodity in unpredictable supply. But the longer the cooperative mood lasts, the greater will be its transformative potential.