C hina's Competing and C o‐opting Nationalisms: Implications to S ino– J apanese Relations

This paper contends that nationalism has always been a constant feature of C hinese politics. Indeed in order to understand the implications of C hina's nationalism vis‐à‐vis its emergence of C hina in global and regional politics, one has to examine the delicate equilibrium between state nationalism and ethnic nationalism. We put forward two hypotheses: first, if ethnic nationalism is more likely to be mobilized vis‐à‐vis state nationalism then an aggressive and assertive nationalism may emerge which is likely to lead to more confrontational foreign relations; second, when ethnic nationalist interests are suppressed, a more affirmative (or pragmatic) brand of nationalism tends to prevail. We argue that it is in the balancing act conducted by C hinese political elites that we can understand how nationalism has affected domestic politics. We then translate this understanding to regional politics, in particular C hina's relations with J apan and T aiwan.