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The article focuses on Taiwan's foreign relations with Japan and China. It is stated that Taiwan has been a sensitive issue in Sino-Japanese relations; and recognizing the relative importance of China and Japan to Taiwan is very useful in understanding their triangular relations. It is mentioned that China's policy toward Taiwan is an uncertain factor that restrain's Taiwan's diplomacy; and China and Japan have good relations and Beijing, China, and Taiwan may have friendly relations with both the nations. The article also discusses the implications of national identity for foreign relations; and Taiwan's democracy and cultural experiences under Japanese colonization.

The essay discusses early post-World War II Sino-Japanese relations. Focus is given to Japan's relationship with Chinese Nationalists (KMT), who would come to rule Taiwan following the rise of China's Communist government, based on the Japanese military's and civil society's reaction to defeat in World War II. Also examined is how such dramatic international relations changes in East Asia impacted Japanese and Taiwanese nationalism and national identity in the post-war era.

Recent naval ship visits and exchanges of goodwill between China and Japan suggest an improvement in the two countries' bilateral relationship, which had been steadily deteriorating since the late 1990s. In the longer term, however, Sino-Japanese relations will likely be tested or constrained by five key sets of issues: (1) territorial and resource disputes, (2) nationalism and issues of mutual antipathy, (3) Taiwan's political status, (4) the rapid rise of China's military power, and (5) the U.S.-Japan security alliance. The manner in which these issues are managed or resolved will likely play a major role in shaping the Sino-Japanese relationship and thus the overall geopolitical environment in East Asia. A key complicating factor in the relationship, however, is the persistence of divergent worldviews: Chinese leaders appear to be more consistently persuaded by realist notions of international politics, whereas Japanese leaders tend to favor liberal-institutionalist values. The two countries may use these different lenses to view the same incident or issue, potentially creating misunderstanding and miscalculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]