Living among the Elephants: South Korea and Japan's Response to the US-China Maritime Rivalry in the Asia-Pacific

The rise of China triggers a hot debate in the United States as well as in China concerning whether a rising power can coordinate with the existing power or inevitably confront each other. On this issue, some foresee a possibility of the next great war between the two countries whereas others view the prospect of coevolution in which Beijing and Washington can shrewdly evade armed conflicts. This paper tries to illustrate how the United States and China are expanding their naval capabilities in parallel with the ongoing strategic debate within China and the United States. The rivalry between the two countries can have a lot of influence on the foreign policies of neighboring countries like South Korea and Japan. This paper also deals with how South Korea and Japan, comparatively small powers, have responded to the super powers' power game in the region. Finally, this paper suggests some policy proposals for South Korea to play a role in stabilizing the regional order.