JAPAN-CHINA RELATIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF CHINA'S BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE

Year 2023, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 28 - 54, 28.12.2023

Kıvılcım Erkan

Abstract

China's Belt and Road initiative, put forward under the leadership of Xi Jinping, is a huge project through which China simultaneously aims to sustain its own economic growth and create economically dependent countries. Through the Belt and Road projects, China aims to increase its exports and investment in other participating countries, while at the same time building major infrastructure in these countries. Consequently, China aims to establish a new China-centered economic order, mainly in East Asia. This new economic order that China is trying to establish poses a threat to the economic and political order established by the US and Japan in the East Asian region in the post-war era. The focus of this study is Japan's attitude towards China's Belt and Road initiative. The main finding of the study is that Japan is pursuing two complementary strategies vis-à-vis China. On the one hand, Japan is trying to get China to accept Western principles in development finance. Japan is trying to diffuse principles of high quality (such as sustainability, disaster resilience, social benefit, environmental and humanitarian impact) in infrastructure construction on international platforms. In this way, Japan challenges the Chinese style of infrastructure construction. On the other hand, in order to prevent China becoming a dominant power in the East Asian region, Japan is cooperating with the US, Australia and India on the idea of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific Ocean to balance China's growing power. Japan is trying to protect values such as freedom of navigation, open access to common areas and the rule of law with the Free and Open Indo-Pacific idea.

Keywords

Japan, Belt and Road, China

ÇİN’İN KUŞAK-YOL GİRİŞİMİ EKSENİNDE JAPONYA-ÇİN İLİŞKİLERİ

Abstract

Xi Jinping önderliğinde ileri sürülen Çin’in Kuşak-Yol girişimi, Çin’in hem kendi ekonomik büyümesini devam ettirmek hem de ekonomik açıdan kendine bağımlı ülkeler oluşturmayı hedeflediği dev bir projedir. Çin Kuşak-Yol projeleri ile diğer katılımcı ülkelere yönelik ihracatını ve yatırımını artırmayı hedeflemekte ve aynı zamanda da bu ülkelerde büyük altyapılar inşa etmektedir. Kuşak-Yol girişimi ile Çin, özellikle Doğu Asya Bölgesi’nde Çin-merkezli bir ekonomik düzenin kurulmasını hedeflemektedir. Çin tarafından kurulmaya çalışılan bu yeni ekonomik düzen, Doğu Asya bölgesinde ABD ve Japonya’nın ikinci dünya savaşından sonra oluşturduğu ekonomik ve siyasi düzene bir tehdit oluşturmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın konusu, Çin’in Kuşak-Yol girişimine yönelik Japonya’nın tutumudur. Çalışmanın temel bulgusu Japonya’nın birbirini tamamlayan iki stratejiyi eş zamanlı olarak yürüttüğü yönündedir. Bir yandan, Japonya kalkınma finansmanı konusunda Çin’e Batı menşeili prensipleri kabul ettirmeye çalışmaktadır. Altyapı inşası konusunda ileri sürdüğü yüksek kalite (sürdürülebilirlik, afet dayanıklılığı, toplumsal fayda, çevresel ve insani etki gibi) gibi prensipleri uluslararası platformlarda yaymaya çalışmaktadır. Böylelikle, Çin usulü altyapı inşasına meydan okumaktadır. Öte yandan, Çin’in Doğu Asya bölgesinde güçlenmesini önlemek adına Japonya, Özgür ve Açık Hint-Pasifik Okyanusu fikri ekseninde ABD, Avusturalya ve Hindistan ile işbirliği yaparak hem Çin’in artan gücünü dengelemeye, hem de deniz seyir özgürlüğü, ortak alanlara açık erişim ve hukukun üstünlüğü gibi değerleri korumaya çalışmaktadır.

Keywords

Japonya, Kuşak-Yol, Çin

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