China, Japan, and the Asia-Pacific

This chapter presents a case study of how political actors in China and Japan engaged in state identity politics in relation to the Asia-Pacific, focusing on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). In China, operating with limited power consolidation under the post-Mao collective leadership, Deng Xiaoping promoted a modern socialist state identity in contrast to the earlier revolutionary socialist state identity, using it as part of domestic politics of assertion to reinforce his legitimacy and authority. Although primarily intended to strengthen his position against domestic out-groups, this redefinition opened the door to unprecedented engagement with APEC, an organisation once regarded as illegitimate and hostile to Chinese interests, and made participation strategically advantageous. It also enabled a more flexible diplomatic posture, including concessions previously considered unthinkable. In Japan, low domestic homogeneity on APEC policy saw bureaucratic actors in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) advance competing identity conceptions, with the former promoting a mercantilist state identity and the latter a pacifist state identity. Both engaged in domestic politics of assertion , with temporary policy coherence achieved only through compromise, high-level personnel exchanges, and coordination with Australia. Ultimately, a temporary consensus led Japan to shift from an active co-founder to a behind-the-scenes partner in APEC’s establishment. In this case, political actors in both countries were primarily focused on contesting domestic out-groups, a dynamic that ultimately contributed to maintaining a relatively stable Sino-Japanese relationship during this period.