Built in Chinese Hegemonic Strategy

Expectation to Chinese new Look West policy expands in Japan. Major private corporations are hastened not to delay in joining Chinese international development initiative called One Belt One Road. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reluctantly recognizes the significance of the geopolitical strategy of Xi Jinping administration. Suffering from unilateral protection of United States economy by Donald Trump administration, or America First, Japanese economy is getting built in Chinese hegemonic strategy in Eurasian continent.

Business exchange between Japan and China is active in this fall. Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, sent a delegate to China last month. In the meeting with National Development and Reform Commission, Chairman of Keidanren, Sadayuki Sakakibara, said that global economic cooperation including One Belt One Road would contribute prosperity not only for both countries but the world.

One Belt One Road consists of two main initiatives: Silk Road Economic Belt and 21^st Century Maritime Silk Road. Xi announced the first one in Kazakhstan in September 2013 as an initiative to connect China and Europe with policy communication, road connectivity, trade facilitation, monetary circulation and people-to-people exchanges. Xi proposed 21^st Century Maritime Silk Road in Indonesia the next month with initiative of establishing Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank to endorse financial credibility.

Since then, China has been investing in various projects of building infrastructure in the countries along the belt and road. To build up corridor in Pakistan or Burma for securing route to Indian Sea, China supports building highways, railroads or electric power plants. By connecting with the Western world, Chinese government hopes to minimize the gap between its developed coastal area and developing mid-western region.

It must be nothing but a big business chance in the continent for Japanese business corporations. Bilateral cooperation in infrastructural technology or environment has to be a hopeful category. Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang told Sakakibara that Japanese corporation would take the opportunity on the common ground with Chinese corporations.

While having uneasiness on one-takes-all way of Chinese business, Japanese government cannot stop private sectors being interested in the initiative. With reservation of keeping Japan-US initiative of Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy, Abe insisted in a Japan-China business meeting in Tokyo earlier this month that Japan could cooperate with Belt and Road Initiative. Japanese government is going to support in environment, building industrial complex or improving circulation system.