Economics and Sino-Japanese Relations
Sino Japanese Relations in the 20th Century
Relations between China and Japan are contradictory; they both rely heavily on each other economically, but they are distrustful of each other and there are huge cultural and political tensions between them. Japan helped provide infrastructure that allowed for the rapid industrialization of China, and if it were not for all of the foreign trade opportunities in China, Japan’s economy could have collapsed. At the same time however, China is still offended by the massive massacres and inhumane acts committed by the Japanese. Japan’s government is also very weary, and almost threatened, by China’s continuing growth economically, politically, and militarily. Despite the fact that China and Japan rely on each other economically and are so similar culturally, relations remain tense because of unresolved historical issues. The relationship between China and Japan really began to sour after Japan became industrial and imperialistic during the mid nineteenth century. This period, known as the Meiji restoration, changed Japan from a feudal society to a more capitalist one. Japan’s military was also greatly strengthened during this time, and taking after the British and other western ideas, began to occupy China. This led to the First Sino-Japanese war in 1894. At the time, China was still relatively weak and a very primitive country compared to the new imperial Japan. This war was fought mainly over control of the Korean peninsula and was easily won by the powerful Japanese military. This wasn’t a particularly bloody or violent war, but it was the first incident that caused China to think negatively of Japan. Japan’s imperialism continued throughout the twentieth century, but never turned into a full out war until the Second Sino-Japanese war in 1937. The Second Sino-Japanese war was one of the most brutal wars in Asian history, and it is a significant root cause for the bad relations between China and Japan. This is
Relations between China and Japan are contradictory; they both rely heavily on each other economically, but they are distrustful of each other and there are huge cultural and political tensions between them. Japan helped provide infrastructure that allowed for the rapid industrialization of China, and if it were not for all of the foreign trade opportunities in China, Japan’s economy could have collapsed. At the same time however, China is still offended by the massive massacres and inhumane acts committed by the Japanese. Japan’s government is also very weary, and almost threatened, by China’s continuing growth economically, politically, and militarily. Despite the fact that China and Japan rely on each other economically and are so similar culturally, relations remain tense because of unresolved historical issues. The relationship between China and Japan really began to sour after Japan became industrial and imperialistic during the mid nineteenth century. This period, known as the Meiji restoration, changed Japan from a feudal society to a more capitalist one. Japan’s military was also greatly strengthened during this time, and taking after the British and other western ideas, began to occupy China. This led to the First Sino-Japanese war in 1894. At the time, China was still relatively weak and a very primitive country compared to the new imperial Japan. This war was fought mainly over control of the Korean peninsula and was easily won by the powerful Japanese military. This wasn’t a particularly bloody or violent war, but it was the first incident that caused China to think negatively of Japan. Japan’s imperialism continued throughout the twentieth century, but never turned into a full out war until the Second Sino-Japanese war in 1937. The Second Sino-Japanese war was one of the most brutal wars in Asian history, and it is a significant root cause for the bad relations between China and Japan. This is
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