Webinar: Japan & China – Balancing globalization and national security

Japan-China relations have seen a marked improvement over the past few years, but increasingly central to the future of the bilateral relationship is the delicate balancing act between globalization and national security. Japan has emerged as a champion of economic internationalism and the Japanese and Chinese economies are deeply intertwined. However, with the intensification of U.S.-China economic tensions, Japan has strengthened its economic defensive measures in ways that may impact economic links with China. Tokyo has added an economic security division to the National Security Secretariat, bypassed Chinese telecom companies in government contracts, and tightened foreign investment screening to prevent leaks of critical technologies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these challenges with the postponement of President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Japan, the decision to fund the re-shoring and diversification of supply chains away from China, and the tightening of foreign direct investment screening in the medical sector. Do these trends herald a renegotiation of globalization amongst Asia’s largest economies?

On June 11, the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at Brookings hosted a panel of experts to analyze the trajectory of Japan-China relations and examine the growing impact of economic security measures.

Viewers can submit questions for speakers by emailing [email protected] or via Twitter to @BrookingsFP using #JapanChinaSecurity.