China has achieved considerable success with its friendship diplomacy. In the past decade, neighbour ing countries have enjoyed the best period in their history through friendly relations with China, which has emerged as an economic power. China has made significant progress in resource-related areas such as energy and mineral resources, and has developed strategic cooperation with Russia in the political, economic and military fields. In particular, it has formed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) with Russia and dreams of expanding it into a NATO-like organisation with aggressive diplomacy on the international stage.
The SCO was the first Chinese-led international organisation to help stabilise the border region in the north-west. China also exerted influence in ASEAN+10, ASEAN+10+3 and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC). It has also signed a free trade agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and promoted regional economic cooperation along the Mekong River. Many Southeast Asian countries are China's neighbours, and the Chinese government has regarded these regions as important areas for strengthening its own backwardness and developing its own territory, and has established friendly cooperation with them.
However, China's East Asian diplomacy of friendship and goodwill is currently facing a great challenge. First, we are increasingly facing competition from countries such as the United States, Japan and India. At the First East Asia Summit in 2005, due to the rise of China and its growing economic power, countries such as the United States, Japan and India have become passive in ASEAN regional cooperation and are trying to divide the region in every field, including politics, economics and the military. In the process of maritime disputes, East Asian countries will use the United States, Japan and India, among other powers, to expand their influence and strategically strengthen their vigilance against China.
Second, maritime disputes in East Asia have had a serious impact on friendly and cooperative diplomacy. Since 2009, as the world has witnessed the development of a second maritime containment movement, disputes in the East China Sea and South China Sea have intensified. The sensitive maritime disputes have caused serious problems for some of the countries involved and have even escalated into an emotional issue, raising the possibility of a military conflict.
Third, the military build-up, which is taking place against the backdrop of rapid economic development and a huge market, is putting pressure on neighbouring countries in East Asia to think about developing with China in the future. China regards the instability of neighbouring countries as the most important factor threatening friendly relations and takes it seriously.
In addition, China sees Japan as a typical neighbour that hinders the development of its maritime rights. In response to China's rise, Japan, with the acquiescence and support of the United States, is attempting to amend its constitution to allow the Self-Defence Forces to participate in overseas operations by strengthening its military power and revising its pacifist constitution. In addition, the new guidelines for Japan-US defence cooperation and the surrounding situation measures law based on the Japan-US security agreement have legally paved the way for the direct participation of the Self-Defence Forces. The "surrounding situation" includes the "Taiwan Strait", the "East China Sea" and the Korean Peninsula issue, which is being addressed with the tacit approval of the United States and ambiguous responses from Japan.
In addition, China sees India and Australia as the two major maritime powers supporting the United States in East Asia. India is a passageway for China to advance westward, and Australia is a gateway for China to advance southward. China sees these countries as challenging its own, in cooperation with the United States and Japan. In addition, 14 landlocked countries and eight maritime countries believe that expanding relations with the United States will limit their future diplomatic relations with these countries. China also places South Korea in this category and sees it as a hypothetical enemy.
