Simultaneous resurgence of China, Korea and Japan in the 19th century?

What are the possible effects of China, Korea and Japan modernizing and resurging simultaneously? What PODs will allow for such event to happen?
 
It does depend on the PoD and what you mean by 'resurgence'. It would seem that Chinese/Japanese 'resurgence' would pretty much rule out Korean resurgence in any meaningful sense (save, I suppose, Korea being able to carve out a trading 'niche' of sorts in SE Asia or in the American Pacific seaboard under Chinese suzerainty).

I suppose if Chinese resurgence happened at around the same time as Japanese resurgence, the chance of Japan leaving China's sphere of influence is comparatively slim, barring a complete Japanese victory over China in the inevitable territorial skirmishes (like over the Ryukyus or maybe Sakhalin). Perhaps this would push the Japanese towards a more trading-oriented policy - alternatively, they might turn their military might away from China and elsewhere in the Pacific, such as the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, or even Hawaii.

Chinese resurgence likely makes it the 'third' major colonial power in the region after Britain and France. Success at reform may well put an end to the fundamental dilemma of the Manchu minority ruling over a Han majority, with the Manchu getting assimilated into the Chinese identity in the process. The Qing will likely want to re-assert control over various vassal states, starting with Annam, Burma and the like, which would bring it into increasing competition with the UK. The Qing were quick to learn the nuances of international relations after the Opium Wars but with successful modernization one could expect to see the re-emergence of the old Imperial mentality.
 
A resurgent China doesn't always have to be a monarchy, though. How about an earlier republic?

And Korea ITTL may probably be a neutral middle power, balancing between Japan and China.

I think Japan might abandon its interests in the mainland if they lose a decisive war with China.
 
Simultaneous resurgence of China, Korea, and Japan would result to total absorption of Taiwan as part of China and Korea's maintenance as China's vassal. China by now would have been one of the superpowers alongside with the United States. There might be lesser migration from China because of better stability, thus lesser Western paranoia on Chinese immigrants.
 
china keeps korea around as a vassal
japan and china never go at each others throat because japan is far too weak
... russia gets slapped back behind the ural mountains
... france never gets vietnam
... the dutch get "convinced" to sell indonesia
... spain loses the philippines

not really a good scenario for western imperialism.
 
A resurgent China doesn't always have to be a monarchy, though. How about an earlier republic?

It's important to remember, though, that the impetus for Republic in China was largely due to the fact that the Qing had failed to modernize OTL. Had the Qing modernized successfully, they would have retained enough support amongst the mercantile, intelligentsia and gentry classes to ward off republican challenges.

And Korea ITTL may probably be a neutral middle power, balancing between Japan and China.

Highly unlikely. That's like saying that Ukraine nowadays can be a 'neutral middle power' between both a powerful US and Russia. Both China and Japan place too high a strategic value on Korea for that to happen. And in any case, Korea has been pretty much a vassal of Qing China for 200 years by the 1800s; this is, more or less, the status quo position.
 
The thing is, the rise of one or two of the others cancels out the greater rise of the third.

The only plausible (remotely) way I can see this happening is if:

Japan and Korea spar at some point and Korea successfully modernizes and drives Japan off, they manage to seize portions of Manchuria from a weaker China which in turn topples the ruling dynasty (install reforming empire, new republic, something) and spurs them to modernization.

Japan seeing further wars with Korea as useless instead begins expending her energy in the Pacific (Taiwan, Hainan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Hawaii) while probably making trade deals with China to spurn the Koreans.

China meanwhile modernizes and begins sparring with Korea over territory while reinforcing the status over the vassal states and portions of SE Asia.
 
How about a modernized Korea under a resurgent China's orbit, while Japan retains Ryukyu as she orients herself into the Pacific?
 
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