Chinese National Identity and National Identity Gaps in East Asia

The Wilson Center in Washington, DC will host a talk on Chinese manifestations of national identity.

National identity discourse strongly influences the behavior of states within East Asia, providing evidence of a national identity syndrome, which is most intense in today’s China. When discourse in one state concerns another, we find evidence also of national identity gaps. Gilbert Rozman will concentrate on national identity gaps involving China, and covering Japan, South Korea, and the United States. In support of his findings, he will review Chinese writings since 2009 showing how the Chinese government is deliberately widening national identity gaps, even to the point of referring to them as divisions between civilizations. In this way, he will argue that China's new assertiveness is closely linked to its evolving approach to national identity.