During the 70s, the Chinese domestic political system and the East Asian Cold War order faced simultaneous structural changes. It was inevitable that each change mutually affected the other, yet the existent research has not adequately examined how they impacted Japan-China relations. This paper addresses the main factors which influenced Chinese policy toward Japan, dealing with the case of the Japan-China Peace and Friendship Treaty negotiation.
This paper seeks to capture the dynamics of domestic and international factors in the Chinese decision making process at three turning-points in the negotiation: interruption in fall 1975, resumption in September 1977 and the final stage of negotiations from May to August, 1978. The basic purpose here is to reexamine Japan-China relations as a part of an integrated Chinese diplomacy, which is conventionally analyzed as bilateral relations.
In the first chapter, the reasons for the discontinuation and the resumption of negotiations by China are explained. Since East Asian affairs were becoming more relaxed at the time, this paper rejects the speculation that China was motivated by a strong intention to make Japan into an anti-Soviet ally. Rather, China was temporarily less motivated to cooperate with Japan due to domestic political disorder. The domestic power struggle took precedence over advancing economic relations with Japan.
The second chapter focuses on what motivated China's sudden change in decision making from May, 1978. In May, China agreed to structure a new security coalition with the US, to supplement the US alliances in East Asia. The United States and China shared a common interest in normalization and excluding Soviet power from the Korean Peninsula. By summer, moreover, out of fear that Vietnam might normalize relations with the US, China hurried to promote cooperative relationships with US allies in East Asia. Consequently, the conclusion of the Peace and Friendship Treaty with Japan gained a new strategic significance, which motivated China to conclude negotiations rapidly. In any evaluation of the meaning of the Japan-China Peace and Friendship Treaty, it is impossible to ignore the role of the US factor.
During the negotiations, the specific bilateral problems between Japan and China, such as history, territory, and Taiwan were not dealt with. Instead, the new East Asian power balance was constructed and maintained during the 80s. The Japan-China relationship was also stabilized in the context of the international system, which resulted in the steady development of the bilateral relationship. Leaving outstanding issues unresolved, however, sowed the seeds of future conflict. In the conclusion, this paper maintains that the complex international context was key to China's decision to shelve its problems with Japan. The Chinese decision was rational given their strategic concerns.

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