EACS-2016. Book of Abstracts

Politics & International Relations 21st Biennial Conference of the European Association for Chinese Studies 172 Revelant Andrea (Ca' Foscari University of Venice) The Jinan Incident in the Japanese Press: an Analysis of the Public Discourse on China, 1926–1928 Key words: Northern Expedition, revolution, press survey, Nationalist leadership, special interests Scholarship on Sino-Japanese relations in the Republican period has often dealt with the role of public opinion in China, starting from the widespread reaction to the Twenty-one Demands in 1915. Research on Japanese sources, however, has rather neglected the non-institutional side of bilateral relations; stud- ies on the press and other mass media have mostly focused on propaganda after the outbreak of the Manchurian Incident, leaving the earlier debates in the margin. Therefore, in order to achieve a better understanding of Japan’s China policy in the interwar years, it is necessary to track changes in the public perception of relevant issues. Within this broader research framework, the paper presented here takes the Jinan Incident of 1928 as a case study on the attitude of the Japanese press towards the establishment of Nationalist government in China. Sources examined are the four leading national newspapers, the main local newspaper in the Kyushu region, two general magazines with large circulation and the chief special- ized journal on foreign affairs. This selection makes a representative sample of different political views and target readership. The analysis focuses on the following topics: a) the evaluation of the government’s China policy before the Incident; b) the ability to collect and verify factual information on the Incident; c) the discussion of the responsibilities for the Incident on both Chinese and Japanese sides; d) the reaction to China’s appeals to the international community; e) the outlook for Sino-Japanese relations. Research brings to light that public opinion in Japan was more diverse than assumed in the literature, and that there were significant differences in the assessment of Nationalist leadership even among those who opposed the government’s policy. Titov Alexander (Queen's University Belfast) The New Pivot in Sino-Russian Relations: Background, Expectations and Obstacles Key words: China's foreign policy, Sino-Russian relations, Russia's pivot to Asia, multi-polarity, international order Over the last year, China and Russia have dramatically intensified their cooperation in various spheres. The paper analyses reasons for the new importance of Sino-Russian relations and its future prospects. First, economic reasons have become important since the introduction of Western sanctions. China is seen Moscow as a potential replacement for European market in natural resources, as well as a source of investment and technology. Russia’s natural resources is seen in China as important strategic reserve in case of interruption of sea supplies. Second, in ideological terms both countries share a resistance to the US hegemony andWestern interven- tionism. The latter implies common concern with the primacy of domestic political stability, seen by Moscow and Beijing to be threatened by externally supported regime change, experienced in the ex-USSR, known as the colour revolutions (most notably Georgia in 2003, Ukraine in 2004 and 2014) or the Arab spring. Third, China and Russia also have common security concerns. These include Central Asia, their own internal stability, and limiting the US influence in their respective areas of interest, in ex-USSR for Russia, and in its coastal seas for China. Finally, there is a more profound, strategic reason for Russia’s pivot toAsia. Given Russia’s geography, its hold on the Far Eastern territories is vulnerable to the changing balance of power, while at the same time it also stands to gain from East Asia’s growth. All this was understood by the Russian leadership prior to the Ukraine crisis and falling out with the West, but the latter prompted much more rapid movement in this direction. The paper concludes with analysis of the likely scenarios for the future development of the Sino-Russian relations, noting considerable structural obstacles in Russia’s policy towards China.