歐美研究季刊第47卷第4期

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美國重返亞洲對中日兩國戰略競爭的影響 (2011-2016) 527
Examining the Impact of the U.S. Return to Asia on
Sino-Japanese Strategic Competition (2011-2016)
— A Perspective of the Security Dilemma Theory
Liang-chih Evans Chen
The Graduate Institute of Public Affairs Management, TransWorld University
No. 1221, Zhennan Rd., Douliu City, Yunlin County 64063, Taiwan
E-mail:
Abstract
What is the impact of the U.S. return to Asia on Sino-Japanese
strategic competition? This paper argues that as Washington pivots
to the Asia-Pacific, situation of their competition deteriorates quickly.
Previously, the U.S.-Japan alliance, as described in Thomas Christen-
sen’s theory in 1999, possessed dual deterrence and was able to pre-
serve peace and stability in East Asia—deterring military threats from
China and North Korea, andpreventing the remilitarialization of Ja-
pan. Currently, however, these functions have been disrupted by
China’s military modernization and challenged by Japan’s security
transformation. The key to this situation is Beijing’s rise, economi-
cally and militarily, in recent years. This development is subtly un-
dermining Christensen’s 1999 argument that the U.S.-Japan alliance
could resolve problems associated with the China-Japan security di-
lemma and lower the likelihood of arms races, military confronta-
tions, and war between these two nations.
Key Words: return to Asia, strategic competition, security dilemma,
U.S .-Japan alliance, arms r aces