This book provides a scholarly examination of Japan’s role in advancing China’s national strategy, the Belt and Road Initiative, as perceived by Chinese academics. Given Japan’s pivotal position as a neighboring state to China, the two countries share extensive economic interdependence alongside complicated security-policy dynamics. As a neighboring country, China closely monitors Japan’s evolving perspectives on the Belt and Road Initiative. Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific, and its diplomatic assistance in Central Asia, Africa, and Southeast Asia, overlap geographically with China’s Belt and Road Initiative. This geographical convergence introduces a certain level of strategic competition between the two countries. However, it also presents potential opportunities for cooperation. This book conducts a comprehensive and insightful analysis from various perspectives regarding this issue.
The analytical framework of this book employs a mixed-method approach, integrating basic theoretical research with empirical field research. Theoretical foundations cover different areas such as international trade, international investment, security, international cooperation, and game theory, among others. Additionally, comprehensive field research conducted in Southeast Asian nations and the United States enriches the book’s empirical foundation. The multidisciplinary expertise of the research team spans regional and national studies, international relations, political science, applied economics, law, sociology, and related fields. This breadth of knowledge facilitates a comprehensive analysis of the intricate relationship between Japan and the Belt and Road Initiative, offering profound insights into this complex issue.
This book is divided into eight chapters in total, providing detailed descriptions of the dynamic relationship between Japan and the Belt and Road Initiative from various perspectives. The first chapter employs dynamic strategic assessment to analyze Japan’s cognition and strategic changes regarding the Belt and Road Initiative. The second chapter thoroughly examines Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific and its relationship with the Belt and Road Initiative. Using spatial regionalization as a research method, the third chapter focuses on analyzing the potential impacts of Japan’s political and economic layout in countries such as Central Asia and Africa on the Belt and Road Initiative. The fourth chapter primarily analyzes the potential impacts of Japan’s political and economic layout in South Asia and Southeast Asia on the Belt and Road Initiative. The fifth chapter addresses Japan’s strategic influence on the Belt and Road Initiative concerning the Arctic and countries around the Arctic. The sixth chapter emphasizes challenges brought by Japan’s foreign strategy in the field of high-quality infrastructure to the Belt and Road Initiative. The seventh chapter describes the cooperation between China and Japan in third-party markets within the Belt and Road framework, including recent developments and challenges faced. Lastly, the eighth chapter describes Japan’s impact on the Belt and Road Initiative from the perspectives of industrial chains and overseas investments.
From a competitive perspective, this book analyzes the direct or indirect competitiveness that Japan poses to China’s Belt and Road Initiative from different angles. Firstly, it explores the Free and Open Indo-Pacific, which directly competes with the Belt and Road in geopolitical and economic domains. Under the framework of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific, Japan engages in military cooperation exercises with India, the United States, and Australia, actively encouraging countries along the Belt and Road Initiative route to join and cooperate. This could potentially increase the cooperation costs for Belt and Road partner countries. Secondly, economically, the Free and Open Indo-Pacific proposes high-quality infrastructure assistance to developing countries, focusing on areas such as healthcare, digital infrastructure, and green infrastructure, which presents a significant challenge to China’s Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure projects. Furthermore, Japan’s diplomatic policies in Central Asia, Africa, and Southeast Asia indirectly compete with the Belt and Road Initiative. These regions are key cooperation areas for the Belt and Road Initiative, receiving significant attention from China. While Japan’s economic and developmental assistance in these regions may not pose an immediate challenge to the Belt and Road Initiative, in the long term, it could establish competitive relations with China’s initiative in terms of strategic layout and influence.
From the perspective of cooperation, this book also mentions many potential areas of cooperation between Japan and China. The book suggests that Japan and China can promote cooperation between the Free and Open Indo-Pacific and the Belt and Road Initiative, especially in areas such as third-party infrastructure construction, energy, and environmental protection. This cooperation can help promote regional integration and build an open world economy. Since 2017, Japan-China relations have improved, and Japan’s participation in the Belt and Road Initiative has also made progress. Japan has participated in cooperation projects under the Belt and Road Initiative in the logistics field, which has been praised by Chinese scholars as a classic case of cooperation. In addition, it is expected that cooperation between Japan and China will gradually expand into multiple fields, including infrastructure construction, finance, energy and environmental protection, and medical care. Such cooperation can not only leverage each other’s strengths to achieve complementary advantages but also reduce the high costs brought about by competition.
This book thoroughly examines Japan’s latest impact on China’s Belt and Road Initiative, using the Free and Open Indo-Pacific and Japan’s foreign diplomacy as focal points. With a global perspective, it meticulously analyzes Japan’s dynamic role within the Belt and Road framework. Special attention is given to the challenges and cooperation opportunities presented by the Free and Open Indo-Pacific to the Belt and Road Initiative, along with the recent global diplomatic dynamics of Japan and their implications for the Belt and Road Initiative participant countries. Additionally, the book integrates fundamental and specialized content, providing detailed insights into the construction, implementation, and achievements of the Belt and Road Initiative. Even readers unfamiliar with the Belt and Road Initiative can gain a comprehensive understanding after reading this book. The author team’s diverse professional backgrounds contribute to the interdisciplinary, multi-domain, and systematic nature of the book. Its in-depth analysis not only helps readers grasp Japan’s stance and actions regarding China’s Belt and Road Initiative but also offers valuable perspectives for understanding the complexities of international relations. As a country-level production, this book makes remarkable contributions across various social science fields.
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本书的分析框架采用了混合方法，结合了基础理论研究和实地调查研究。理论基础涵盖了国际贸易、国际投资、安全、国际合作和博弈论等多个领域。此外，作者团队在东南亚国家和美国进行了广泛的实地研究，丰富了本书的实证基础。研究团队在区域和国家研究、国际关系、政治学、应用经济学、法律、社会学等领域具有多学科背景，这种知识广度有助于全面分析日本与“一带一路”倡议的复杂关系，提供深刻的见解。
全书共分为八章，从多个角度详细描述了日本与“一带一路”倡议之间的动态关系。第一章采用动态战略评估方法，分析了日本对“一带一路”倡议的认知和战略变化。第二章详细探讨了日本的“自由开放的印太战略”及其与“一带一路”倡议的关系。第三章采用空间区域化研究方法，重点分析了日本在中亚和非洲等国的政治经济布局对“一带一路”倡议的潜在影响。第四章主要分析了日本在南亚和东南亚的政治经济布局对“一带一路”倡议的潜在影响。第五章关注了日本在北极及其周边国家对“一带一路”倡议的战略影响。第六章强调了日本在高质量基础设施领域的对外战略对“一带一路”倡议带来的挑战。第七章描述了在“一带一路”框架下中日第三方市场合作，包括最新进展和面临的挑战。最后，第八章从产业链和海外投资的角度描述了日本对“一带一路”倡议的影响。
从竞争角度看，本书从多个角度分析了日本对中国“一带一路”倡议构成的直接或间接竞争。首先，探讨了“自由开放的印太战略”，该战略在地缘政治和经济领域直接与“一带一路”竞争。在“自由开放的印太战略”框架下，日本与印度、美国和澳大利亚进行军事合作演习，积极鼓励沿“一带一路”倡议路线的国家加入并合作，这可能增加“一带一路”合作伙伴国的合作成本。其次，在经济上，“自由开放的印太战略”向发展中国家提供高质量基础设施援助，重点关注医疗、数字基础设施和绿色基础设施等领域，对中国的“一带一路”基础设施项目构成了重大挑战。此外，日本在中亚、非洲和东南亚的外交政策间接与“一带一路”倡议竞争。这些地区是“一带一路”倡议的重要合作区域，受到中国的高度重视。尽管日本在这些地区的经济和发展援助可能不会对“一带一路”倡议构成立即挑战，但从长期来看，它可能在战略布局和影响力方面与中国的倡议形成竞争关系。
从合作角度看，本书也提到中日之间的许多潜在合作领域。书中建议日本和中国可以推动“自由开放的印太战略”与“一带一路”倡议之间的合作，特别是在第三方基础设施建设、能源和环境保护等领域的合作。这种合作有助于促进区域一体化，建立开放的世界经济。自2017年以来，中日关系有所改善，日本在“一带一路”倡议中的参与也取得了进展。日本参与了“一带一路”倡议框架下的物流合作项目，被中国学者誉为合作的经典案例。此外，预计中日合作将逐步扩展到基础设施建设、金融、能源和环境保护以及医疗保健等多个领域。这种合作不仅可以发挥各自优势，实现优势互补，还可以降低竞争带来的高成本。
本书详尽地研究了日本对中国“一带一路”倡议的最新影响，以“自由开放的印太战略”和日本的外交为焦点。通过全球视角，细致分析了日本在“一带一路”框架中的动态角色。特别关注了“自由开放的印太战略”对“一带一路”倡议带来的挑战和合作机遇，以及日本的全球外交动态及其对“一带一路”倡议参与国家的影响。此外，本书整合了基础和专业内容，提供了对“一带一路”倡议建设、实施及成就的详细见解，即使是对“一带一路”倡议不熟悉的读者，读完本书后也能获得全面的理解。作者团队多样化的专业背景使得本书具有跨学科、多领域和系统性的特点。深入的分析不仅帮助读者掌握日本对中国“一带一路”倡议的立场和行动，还为理解国际关系的复杂性提供了宝贵视角。作为一部国家级的著作，本书在各个社会科学领域都做出了卓越的贡献。
