1st Edition
State Identity Politics and the Making of East Asia Perspectives from China and Japan
1. Introduction
China, Japan, and the Ghosts of the Past
State Identity Politics in Brief
Added Values of State Identity Politics
Overview of the Book
Bibliography
2. Making East Asia
What Is Region?
Regionalism and Regionalisation
Regionalism and Institution
Regionalism in East Asia
Realist Explanations
Institutionalist Explanations
Constructivist Explanations
Limitations of Existing Scholarship
Summary
Bibliography
3. State Identity Politics in International Relations
State Identity in International Relations
State Identity and Foreign Policy
State Identity and Foreign Policy: Assumptions and Tensions
The State Personhood: Where Are the Agents?
Ideas Flowing Freely: Where Are the institutions?
Being Rather Than Becoming: Where Are the Processes?
State Identity Politics: A Pathway Forward?
State Identity Politics and Agency Space
The Institutional Architecture of Agency Space
The Political Configuration of Agency Space
The Situational Context of Agency Space
Summary
Bibliography
4. China, Japan, and the Asia-Pacific
Forging a Modern Socialist State? China in the Late 1970s to Late 1980s
China and APEC: From a Political Problem to an Economic Solution
Between Pacifism and Mercantilism? Japan in the Late 1970s to Late 1980s
Japan and APEC: From a Co-Founder to a Backstage Partner
Summary
Bibliography
5. China, Japan, and Southeast Asia
Making a Responsible Great Power? China in the Early 1990s to Early 2000s
China and APT: From Likely Threat to Potential Partner
Becoming the Bridge between the West and East? Japan in the Early 1990s to Early 2000s
Japan and APT: From Exclusive Bloc to Inclusive Balancing
Summary
Bibliography
6. China, Japan, and Northeast Asia
Toward a G2 Great Power? China Since the Early 2010s
China and the CJKFTA: From Economic Opportunity to Strategic Liability
Reimagining a Beautiful Nation? Japan since the Early 2010s
Japan and the CJKFTA: From Northeast Asia to Indo-Pacific
Summary
Bibliography
7. Findings and Implications
Overall Findings
Comparative Case-Specific Findings: Vertical Analysis
China
Japan
Comparative Case-Specific Findings: Horizontal Analysis
China, Japan, and the Asia-Pacific
China, Japan, and Southeast Asia
China, Japan, and Northeast Asia
Limitations and Implications for Future Research
Bibliography
Biography
Minran Liu is a Lecturer in International Relations in the School of Political Science and International Studies (POLSIS) at the University of Queensland, Australia. His teaching and research primarily focus on Asia‑Pacific security, East Asian politics, Chinese politics and strategy, and constructivist international relations theory. His recent work has been published in International Relations of the Asia‑Pacific, Contemporary Politics, and many edited volumes. He holds a PhD from the Department of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney. Prior to joining UQ, he held lectureships at the University of Sydney and UNSW Canberra.
"Relations between China and Japan, and indeed between states in East Asia and its wider region, are often described with little thought to agency and in terms of essentialised cultural determinants. While the events of the past certainly provide context to those international relations they cannot adequately explain variations over time or with policy areas. Through case studies focussing on Asia-Pacific regional institutions, Southeast Asia, and Northeast Asia the considerable worth of this volume is its focus on the the role of political actors in their respective domestic contexts and their strategic choices in shaping regional outcomes."
- David S. G. Goodman, Professor and Director, China Studies Centre, University of Sydney
“State Identity Politics and the Making of East Asia offers a refreshing analysis of how domestic factors such as strong leadership and effective coalition building in China and Japan affect national identity formation and foreign policy formulation. Drawing on Neoclassic Realism, its agent-centred approach sheds light on the dynamic interplay between state identity politics and external environments that generates both constraints and opportunities for cooperation and conflict in East Asia.”
- Jingdong Yuan, Senior Researcher and Director, SIPRI China and Asia Security Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
"In this well-researched and thought-provoking book, Minran Liu offers a bold and original reinterpretation of East Asia’s evolving regionalism through the lens of state identity politics. With a nuanced analysis of China and Japan’s shifting national identities, Liu shows how domestic political actors construct and reconstruct national narratives that shape each country’s regional policies. A must-read for anyone seeking to understand the complex dynamics behind cooperation and conflict in East Asia."
- Jian Zhang, Professor, International & Political Studies, University of New South Wales
"This groundbreaking study, rich in both theoretical and empirical content, offers a unique exploration of the domestic dynamics involved in state identity formation. Liu delves deeply into the intricacies of "state identity politics" in China and Japan, shedding light on how these dynamics shape their bilateral relations and the broader strategic landscape of East Asia. This is a must-read for comprehending the current dynamics of Sino-Japanese rivalry and cooperation."
- Takeshi Yuzawa, Professor, Department of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies, Hosei University
"Taking a fresh but judicious approach to shed new light, Minran Liu focuses on state identity to explain the dynamics of China-Japan relations and assess larger questions of East Asian regionalism. Excellently organized both theoretically and through robust case studies, this first major work by a rising star scholar sparks new debate and deepens insights on the future of the world's most important region. "
- Bates Gill, Senior Fellow for Asian Security, National Bureau of Asian Research, and Senior Fellow, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
