Sino File | Opinion: Can Asia handle parallel rise of strongmen in Japan and China?
The Chinese and Japanese leaders both won major political victories this week – and their strengthened grips on power will only embolden their aggressive agendas
STRONGMAN POLITICS have made a comeback in Asia with the leaders of the two biggest economies in the region granted even more power.
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But their political triumphs do not help heal frayed ties. Instead, they cast a further shadow over future relations between the world’s second and third largest economies. Their victories show that chauvinistic patriotism and entrenched hegemonic competition have continued to run high under Xi and Abe’s stewardship, over the past five years.
Both are known for being their countries’ toughest leaders in generations. Since rising to power in 2012, Xi and Abe have been locked in a spiralling diplomatic stand-off, causing Sino-Japanese relations to plunge to their lowest levels since diplomatic ties were established in 1972 – a comparatively friendlier and more harmonious time.
