The chapters in Section II explore changes in national identity in Asia in the shadow of both the U.S. struggle to reaffirm its leadership of the international community and China’s intense advocacy of a national and regional community in opposition to that community. Against the backdrop of a tug-of-war between these rivals over identity transformation, we observe responses along the borders of the PRC. Commonalities can be found in attitudes of avoidance of falling deeply into the sweep of one or the other power’s national identity, while there are also clear differences in how each of China’s neighbors is bolstering and even intensifying its own national identity. The areas covered—Hong Kong and Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and India—differ in the closeness of their bonds to the United States, the nature and intensity of the appeal by China, and the urgency each feels toward reaffirming a more distinct identity.

This section contains the following chapters:

Introduction by Editor-in-Chief Gilbert Rozman

Japan’s National Identity Gaps: A Framework for Analysis of International Relations in Asia
Gilbert Rozman, Princeton University

National Identity and Attitudes Toward North Korean Defectors
Jiyoon Kim, Asan Institute

Bridging the Chinese National Identity Gap: Alternative Identities in Hong Kong and Taiwan
Syaru Shirley Lin, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Identity and Strategy in India’s Asia-Pacific Policy
Deepa M. Ollapally, The George Washington University