^^^^
Off topic:
Did I just witness a conversation between Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon?
On topic:
Harmony amongst the East Asians is in their best interest. The sooner it happens the better.
Nothing of that sort can happen now.
Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer, but not so close that it limits your options to deal with them.
First the US elements in S Korea and Japan has to be eliminated. Maybe it will take 1 generation assuming a Soviet Union style US collapse in the next 5 years. The number of options for kicking the can further down the line by the US is getting more limited after each one is expended.
Then a majority of people more oriented towards China within S Korea and Japan has to be established. Likewise for China. For Japan, there is grounds for optimism. But for S Koreans, they piss off Chinese more than Japanese do and this sentiment keeps growing. (Quantitative evidence mind you).
Apparently S Koreans in person are often not what its like in the dramas or videos.
Unfettered access to China's markets by Japan and S Korean will not benefit Chinese companies, at least for now. Feeding the hands that
ARE willingly
BEING used by others and on their own initiative to bite you is plain stupid.
Between feng qing and bai chi, I rather "feng qing"s. They can be embarrassing at times but "bai chi"s have a way of getting you hurt badly or killed.
Economic union? Single currency? Single interest rate regime, as long as China gets to set it without encumberance from other members. And no bailouts. Ozawa's aim is for Japan to receive a stealth "bailout" from China. Learn from Germany's experience.
China's challenge in such an enviroment is not be taken advantage of, else end up like Germany.