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Explain why there are and have been, tensions between superpowers and…
Explain why there are and have been, tensions between superpowers and other countries in East Asia
Surrounding the Yellow and East china Seas in East Asia are the countries of the China, South Korea, Japan and North Korea. These four countries operate very different political systems.
These four countries have sometimes experienced tense geopolitical relationships due to recent and ongoing conflict sin the region
- resentment in south Korea and China over their occupation by Japan during WW2 and ongoing dispute over hw history is taught
- The Korean war 1950-53 was one of the several armed conflicts during the cold war which divided the region and the world Korea still remains divided today
- Japan and South Korea follow capitalist views whereas China and North Korea are communist systems
- There is dispute over the borders and unresolved territorial claims
Political systems
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North Korea - one party communist dictatorship with a hereditary leadership and absence of political freedoms
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Disputed territories
- Kuril Islands - Russia and Japan
- Sea of Japan - South Korea and Japan
- Liancourt Rocks - South Korea and Japan
- Socotra Rock - China and South Korea
- North and South Korea border
- Senaku Islands - China, Japan and Taiwan
- Taiwan - China and Taiwan
Past
- Japans invasion of Manchuria in 1931 and subsequent occupation soured Sino-Japanese relations
- the region was a key theatre of operations during WWII fought over by the great Powers of the time (USSR,UK,USA and Japan) -this has left resentment and simmering disputes over whose version of history is right.
- the Korean war (Russia/China/NK -v- SK/USA/UN) ended in stalemate- no peace treaty was ever signed: Taiwan is an ongoing source of tension between the USA (supporting nationalist China) and the mainland peoples republic of China.
- the area was pivotal during the cold war - the USA, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea as the capitalist bloc versus USSR, China and North Korea in the communist side - this continues to this day albeit in a revised form.
Current
- Countries in the region follow different ideologies - Chinese communism on the one hand versus capitalism (led by the USA) on the other
The USA sees the region as within its sphere of influence and maintains a large military presence - this conflicts with chinas expansionist plans and blue water navy development
in general the region is heavily militarised and China North Korea Russia and the USA have nuclear weapons in the region. north Korea nuclear ambitions are an ongoing source of tension
there are numerous disputed territories of the arar including the border zone in north Korea -and occasional skirmished and sabre rattling