This book investigates the complex evolution of China's foreign economic policy towards Japan in the post-World War II era. Drawing on hundreds of recently declassified Chinese sources, Amy King presents an empirical account that challenges conventional understandings of Sino-Japanese relations during this period. The work examines how Chinese Communist leaders' perceptions of Japan, influenced by the legacy of war and empire, shaped their economic strategies. It reveals how, despite the Cold War's geopolitical divisions, Japan emerged as China's most significant economic partner by 1971, driven by a shared aspiration for non-Western modernization.

This book is recognized for its rich empirical account of China's foreign economic policy towards Japan after World War II, utilizing hundreds of recently declassified Chinese sources. It offers an innovative conceptual framework for understanding the role of ideas in foreign policy, specifically examining how Chinese Communist leaders perceived Japan. The work is noted for explaining Japan's rise as China's most important economic partner in 1971, despite historical conflict and the Cold War divide.