East Asia’s Turning Point
Political transitions in China, Japan, and South Korea could compound East Asia’s challenges, which include the need to institute a regional balance of power and overcome historical disputes that weigh down interstate relationships. As a Russian proverb warns, “Forget the past and lose an eye; dwell on the past and lose both eyes.”
NEW DELHI – Political transitions in East Asia promise to mark a defining moment in the region’s jittery geopolitics. After the ascension in China of Xi Jinping, regarded by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as its own man, Japan seems set to swing to the right in its impending election – an outcome likely to fuel nationalist passion on both sides of the Sino-Japanese rivalry.