Should there be a new East Asian unity (Chinese, Koreans, Japanese)? - Historum

Zhang General · August 8th, 2012, 09:29 AM

Chinese, Koreans and Japanese...and maybe Mongolians too.

I am aware of the past...but many people don't care, although a lot of people still care.

People talk about the rise of Asia in the 21st C....and an interesting fact is that if east asia combined their GDP and assets it would far surpass both north america and the european union.

Chinese/Korean vs Japanese or Chinese/Japanese vs Korean or Japanese/Korean vs Chinese?

kinger256 · August 8th, 2012, 07:05 PM

China doesn't have any benefit to forming a union with japan/korea. They're gonna be a superpower that can exert as much economic and political power as all of Europe in the future. They don't need anyone to help them.

Korea and Japan on the other hand is a possibility I can see happen once. Once all the older Korean/Japanese nationalists die out, people will realize the silliness in fighting over a small set of rocks that hold no strategic or economic value. South Koreans will face the reality that they are cultural more similar to Japan then to their brothers up in the north, and once both countries fade into irrelevance as BRIIC becomes more powerful, they will see the need to form a union of sorts to maintain any type of power in the future.

Like Japan said earlier last month, “South Korea shares the closest relationship with Japan historically and in various areas such as economy and culture.”

**dagul** · August 8th, 2012, 07:58 PM

If these East Asian nations will unite, the U.S. hegemony may be erased.

In the meantime the unity is nil. That is the brand that the East Asians have as compared to the European descent people, the former really hate each as reflected in their history of division and was never under one empire and cultural diversity like Confucianism isn't similar with Bushido, whereas, the latter had the history of being one, under the Roman Empire and the cultural common ground which is the European Christendom.

Dr Realism · August 8th, 2012, 08:05 PM

What would the point of such a union be?
Why do they need to form a union to compete with the US? Japan and South Korea get their security from the US.
If the USA and Canada combined, their GDP and economic power would increase too, but for what purpose?
Europe is trying the Union thing and we can see all the kinks involved. I think you underestimate the nationalism in East Asia.

Korea hates Japan. Korea hates China. Japan and China hate each other too.
What would South Korea and Japan want a union with an authoritarian country?
What are the common interests of the three countries? They are always claiming each others territories and fighting about WW2 and the colonial times.

People talk about the rise of East Asia in the 21st century. Do they also talk about how Japan is the oldest country in the world and South Korea is set to pass them and become the oldest country in the world around 2040. Do they talk about how China is a developing country whose population is aging at the rate of a developed country. Taking care of hundreds of millions of senior citizens with a 4-2-1 demographic pyramid does not bode well for a rise. Nor does the water situation in the country.

Northern Honshu is a radioactive disaster for the next hundred years. I can't image the long term affects on Japan.

**dagul** · August 8th, 2012, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Realism

Korea hates Japan. Korea hates China. Japan and China hate each other too.
What would South Korea and Japan want a union with an authoritarian country?
What are the common interests of the three countries? They are always claiming each others territories and fighting about WW2 and the colonial times.

I agree, they hate each other a lot.

**Jake10** · August 8th, 2012, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kinger256

China doesn't have any benefit to forming a union with japan/korea. They're gonna be a superpower that can exert as much economic and political power as all of Europe in the future. They don't need anyone to help them.

Korea and Japan on the other hand is a possibility I can see happen once. Once all the older Korean/Japanese nationalists die out, people will realize the silliness in fighting over a small set of rocks that hold no strategic or economic value. South Koreans will face the reality that they are cultural more similar to Japan then to their brothers up in the north, and once both countries fade into irrelevance as BRIIC becomes more powerful, they will see the need to form a union of sorts to maintain any type of power in the future.

Like Japan said earlier last month, “South Korea shares the closest relationship with Japan historically and in various areas such as economy and culture.”

China would have a great deal to gain. China has a large, strong labor force, but their designing and engineering sectors are weak. Japanese and Korean design and engineering could lead Chinese labor to great improvements.
China also has an array of social problems which education from Japan could improve, primarily in terms of corruption.

From an economic perspective, a common currency between the three nations would improve trade.

Having said that, we also have to consider the implications and barriers to such a union. Racism and resentment from past events would need to be overcome. As long as people are unwilling to forgive the ills of WWII, the risk of social anarchy remains. And, as long as intolerance for other cultures persists, a union cannot succeed.

purakjelia · August 8th, 2012, 08:17 PM

Mongolia and Vietnam also hate China.

It seems that China has bad relationships with almost all of her neighbors.

purakjelia · August 8th, 2012, 08:21 PM

I don't think such an East Asian union would exist in the perceivable future. Nationalism in those countries hinders the existence of such an union.

**mingming** · August 8th, 2012, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dagul

If these East Asian nations will unite, the U.S. hegemony may be erased.

In the meantime the unity is nil. That is the brand that the East Asians have as compared to the European descent people, the former really hate each as reflected in their history of division and was never under one empire and cultural diversity like Confucianism isn't similar with Bushido, whereas, the latter had the history of being one, under the Roman Empire and the cultural common ground which is the European Christendom.

US hegemony is already being erased. The age of one superpower is over. The future will be split between the US and the BRIC nations.

**Jake10** · August 8th, 2012, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by purakjelia

I don't think such an East Asian union would exist in the perceivable future. Nationalism in those countries hinders the existence of such an union.

The desire for it is often discussed, but it's usually based on the possible gains that each nation could have and not accompanied by a willingness to assist the other nations. People in Japan like the job prospects this could provide, but they don't want their neat, tidy society to be spoiled. The Chinese, too, want what Japan has to offer, but when asked sharing their resources react negatively. They say that China has been poor for too long and should not have to give what they've worked so hard for to others.