In Chinese academic and policy circles, emotional attachment to North Korea is steadily draining away, which creates an opportunity for Washington to persuade the PRC to change its policy toward the nation.

The peaceful desires of most Japanese people and the powerful trends of economic globalization and world multi-polarization do not in any way support the strengthening of the US-Japan military alliance. In fact, they are harbingers of its disintegration.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s speech on the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII proves that he is master of words that couldn’t be reduced to substance.

Shinzo Abe finally delivered his speech commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on August 14. Though the speech did include the “four key words” – “apology”, “remorse”, “aggression” and “colonial rule”, it failed to present a correct outlook on history.

Though 34 African countries are signatories to the Rome Statute, the continent now generally sees the ICC as a political organ that has “deviated from its original purpose”, exercising double standards and “only targeting African countries for case investigation and conviction”. The US exempts itself but demands compliance from the rest of the world.

A changing world requires China to take a clearer, more comprehensive approach to its national security. It strikes a balance between maintaining national security and promoting socioeconomic development, between internal and external security, between the security of territory and people, between traditional security and non-traditional security, and between security of a single country and that of all countries.

East Asia has avoided major military conflicts since the 1970’s. It is owing to the maturity and good sense of most of the states of the region, their emphasis on economic growth over settling scores, and the American alliances and security presence that have deterred military action and provided comfort to most peoples and states. But above all else, it is due to the reconciliation of the Asia-Pacific’s major powers, the United States and China.

Beijing’s celebration of the 70th anniversary of the end of world war is meant to project China as a peace-loving country determined to prevent such trauma from happening again. If the rise of China is the most important event in the 21 century, the message from the Tian’anmen Square parade is clear: The PLA can help to make the world a safer place.

With US-Japan military cooperation as its main pillar, the deepening US military involvement in Asia goes against the world tide of peace and development, and against the will of the Asian people. The American government would do well to study the lessons of history as it cements its partnership with Tokyo.