A quarter century ago, on Aug. 12, 1978, Japan and China signed a treaty of peace and friendship in Beijing, putting a legal end to the technical state of war between the two nations. With the United States and the Soviet Union locked in the Cold War, however, the treaty talks reflected the hard realities of superpower rivalry in East Asia.
The negotiations proved difficult, particularly over an "antihegemony clause," which was taken as a veiled reference to the Soviet Union. To take the edge off that provision, the two sides agreed to insert a clause to the effect that the treaty is not directed against any third country. Still, the pact would contribute significantly to the containment of the Soviet Union by Japan and China, as well as the U.S.
The international environment surrounding East Asia has since changed dramatically. First, the Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet empire and the demise of international communism. Russia, now a laggard capitalist state, is no longer a leading player on the world stage.