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A master's thesis from Aalborg University
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Territory Disputes and the Triangle Relationships between Japan, South Korea and China

Author

Term

4. term

Publication year

2012

Submitted on

Pages

62

Abstract

East Asia’s rapid economic growth and deepening intra-regional trade have spurred ambitions for regional integration and a possible free trade agreement among Japan, South Korea, and China. At the same time, territorial disputes over the Senkaku/Diaoyu, Dokdo/Takeshima, and Socotra Rock have intensified, triggering diplomatic crises, protests, and temporary slowdowns in military and economic cooperation. This thesis examines how these disputes affect the triangular relationship among the three states during East Asia’s integration process. It adopts a qualitative, theory-informed approach that draws on strategic triangle theory and world-systems perspectives, situates the conflicts within a historical context (tributary system, wartime legacies, and the Cold War), and analyzes the three bilateral dyads through case studies of specific disputes. The analysis explores political, security, and economic spillovers, including implications for the trilateral FTA agenda. The introduction references international reports and 2012 media coverage; full methodological details and empirical materials are outlined in later chapters. The excerpt does not present findings, but sets up an assessment of whether the disputes block, reshape, or can be compartmentalized from economic integration.

Østasien har gennemgået hurtig økonomisk vækst og tættere handel, hvilket har øget ambitionerne om regional integration og en mulig frihandelsaftale mellem Japan, Sydkorea og Kina. Samtidig er territori­ale stridigheder om Senkaku/Diaoyu, Dokdo/Takeshima og Socotra Rock blusset op med diplomatiske kriser, protester og midlertidig afkøling af militært og økonomisk samarbejde. Dette speciale undersøger derfor, hvordan disse stridigheder påvirker landenes trekantsforhold i integrationsprocessen. Studiet er kvalitativt og teoriinformeret: det anvender strategiske trekantteorier og verdenssystemperspektiver, sætter konflikterne ind i en historisk ramme (tributsystem, Japans krigstid og Den Kolde Krig) og analyserer de tre bilaterale relationer gennem cases af konkrete tvister. Det belyser de politiske, sikkerhedsmæssige og økonomiske afsmitninger, herunder betydningen for dagsordenen om en trilateral frihandelsaftale. Indledningen henviser til internationale rapporter og nyhedskilder fra 2012; detaljer om metode og empiri uddybes i senere kapitler. Uddraget rummer ikke resultater, men lægger op til at vurdere, om stridighederne blokerer, omformer eller kan adskilles fra den økonomiske integration.

[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]