The U.S. Northeast Asian Alliance System And The Northeast Asian Regional Order

Alliances and alignments have existed since ancient times.After the Second World War,the United States established an alliance system on a global scale,including two important fulcrums,the European Alliance System and the Asia-Pacific Alliance System.In the Asia-Pacific region,China is located in the sub-region of Northeast Asia which has important strategic significance for China’s development and participation in the construction of the regional order.In the new historical period,studying the influencing factors and future trends of the Northeast Asian order is of great positive significance for building a new type of relationship among countries in Northeast Asia and achieving peace,stability and development in this region.On the one hand,the construction of the new order is conducive to the development of relations between countries,especially the resolution of relations between countries and North Korea,the Korean Peninsula issue,historical issues and territorial issues,etc.On the other hand,the construction of the new order will help promote high-level and in-depth cooperation among Northeast Asian countries.At the same time,although the United States is not a Northeast Asian country,its influence in Northeast Asia is self-evident.In the process of studying the Northeast Asian order,the United States and the its Northeast Asian Alliance System cannot be ignored.After World War II,the United States established a network of alliance systems all over the world.Among them,the Northeast Asian Alliance System has the most profound geopolitical influence on China.Unlike the European Alliance System,the US Asia-Pacific Alliance System is not in the form of a multilateral alliance,but a “hub and spoke” system composed of a series of bilateral alliances.As a subset of the AsiaPacific Alliance System,the Northeast Asian Alliance System also maintains this feature,consisting of two bilateral alliances,the U.S.-Japan Alliance and the U.S.-ROK Alliance.The definition of “regional order” in this article is the stable status and specific arrangements formed by the interaction between sovereign states in a given geographical area,including the distribution of power,institutions(mechanisms and rules,etc.),and concepts(ideas and values).Before the establishment of the U.S.Northeast Asian Alliance System,the region once had a Tianxia order,where the order center was China(or Central Plains Dynasty),the regional system was the tributarycanonization system,and the shared concepts in the region were Huayi view and Confucian culture,followed with the “Hobbesian” disorder after the invasion of Western forces.After the establishment of the U.S.Northeast Asian alliance system,Northeast Asia first established an order of the U.S.-Soviet balance of power during the Cold War period.Its main feature is the confrontation between the two major alliance systems.After the disintegration of the Soviet Union,the United States became the only superpower in the region,dominating the liberal hegemonic order in the region.As China’s rise has affected the regional power structure,Northeast Asia has gradually formed a Sino-U.S.dual order.Since its establishment,the U.S.Northeast Asian Alliance System has continued to affect the regional order and has become an important tool for the United States to participate in Northeast Asian affairs,influence and shape the regional order.During the Cold War,the United States maintained and managed the alliance system through power distribution,institutions and concepts,contained the Soviet Union and its camp,maintained the stability of the regional balance of power,and achieved the stability of the regional order.After the end of the Cold War,the United States has basically finished shaping the concept of allies.However,the regional power structure has undergone significant changes.The United States continues to play the role of the system and institutionalizes the construction of the alliance system,so that the system can always exist as a fixed whole and exert influence on the order of Northeast Asia.The changes in power distribution and mechanisms in Northeast Asia have led to the emergence of a dual order.In the process of the U.S.Northeast Asian Alliance System affecting the regional order,the six-party talks as a case can typically demonstrate its impact on the regional security order.After the outbreak of the second North Korean nuclear crisis,the SixParty Talks appeared in Northeast Asia as a dialogue mechanism to resolve the crisis.As a party in the game of the six-party talks,China and Russia have actively promoted the settlement of the North Korean nuclear issue and advocated the institutionalization of the six-party talks.However,during the six-party talks,the U.S.Alliance System relied on the three elements of power structure,system,and concepts to keep it existing and consolidating as a whole,which led to the trend of differentiation in the security field in Northeast Asia,and the deconstructive effect on the regional multilateral security institution,which offset China’s efforts to institutionalize.In addition to the security order,there is also a certain connection between the U.S.Northeast Asian Alliance System and the regional economic order.During the Trump administration,the United States adopted the principle of “America first”,and its foreign economic policies showed obvious characteristics of “isolationism” and trade protectionism.It adopted amendments to trade agreements and increased tariffs on Northeast Asian allies,also withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement(TPP).Although the “America First” policy has weakened the U.S.Northeast Asian Alliance System to a certain extent,it has not caused fundamental damage.While Japan and South Korea have increased their autonomy,they have not given up their dependence on the United States.Trump’s economic and trade policy reflects the subordinate status of Japan and South Korea in the alliance system,and at the same time undermines the original economic mechanisms and rules in the region.On the other hand,it also objectively promotes the recognition of regionalism and economic integration among regional countries.After the Biden administration came to power,the U.S.-Japan and U.S.-ROK alliances may have different development trends.The U.S.-Japan alliance will become closer,while there might be many potential challenges within the U.S.-ROK alliance.The United States will continue to shape the Northeast Asian order and the “IndoPacific” regional order through the Indo-Pacific Strategy,in which its Northeast Asian Alliance System will continue to play an important role.China has put forward an idea for the future order of Northeast Asia,that is,building a community with a shared future in Northeast Asia.The Belt and Road Initiative is an important practice and path for building a community with a shared future in Northeast Asia.It is fundamentally different from the Indo-Pacific Strategy of the United States.China is an important power in Northeast Asia.The rise of China is inseparable from the dependence on the environment in Northeast Asia.China’s development affects Northeast Asia,and the development and changes in Northeast Asian order also have an important impact on China.At the same time,the United States and its alliance system cannot be avoided in the region.China is in a period of important historical development opportunities.In-depth study and analysis of the relationship between the U.S.alliance system and the Northeast Asian regional order will help grasp the future development trend of Northeast Asia under the unprecedented changes in a century,understand the peripheral environment of China and strive to play an active role of our country in the process of constructing the Northeast Asian order,and make it consistent with China’s development strategy as much as possible.