From Beijing’s point of view, America’s Asian pivot took on a distinctly darker coloration with the election in December 2012 of the nationalist politician Shinzo Abe as the Japanese prime minister. Abe was deeply concerned about China’s power. He was unabashed in his support for a stronger and more independent Japanese military. And he was also willing to override domestic economic interests for the sake of strategic cooperation with the United States. He was even willing to sacrifice Japan’s rice farmers to make his country into a key pillar of TPP.5 If he was willing to do that, what else
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