WI: Asian Union

One challenge often encountered in AH, is IMO that of getting Japan and China to reconcile. I think it's an interesting field and thus here's an idea:
- Have a Japan that successfully supports a revolutionary uprising in Southern China (they tried this in OTL but the UK made them hit 'cancel') which leads to the overthrow of the Qing and beginning of the Warlord era. Simultaneously, have Soviet Russia (or just Russia) gain more influence in the north and complicate China's reunification.
- By 1925 or 1930, China is still split between a powerful Japan-supported party based from the south (similar to the OTL KMT), but there are still many warlords supported by the Russians or otherwise opposed to the Japanese-backed party.
- Intensification of conflicts in China, with the alt-KMT (supprorted by Japan), warlords, Russia and Japan as major players. This happens in the 30s-50s.
- After this period of prolonged and confused fighting, China is finally more or less unified under the alt-KMT, which is in strong alliance with Japan. Conflicts with various Western powers keeps the friendship afloat.
- By the 60s or 70s, an Asian union has been explicitly formed, perhaps with the intent being that it would rally the colonized peoples of SE Asia. In any case, as decolonization occurs, the Asian Union gets more members as they undergo an "oriental mode" of economic and political development. Perhaps it is opposed to western imperialism and/or Communist rhetoric.

There you have it. Not sure if entirely plausible.
 
Can a closer ASEAN-Shanghai Cooperation Organization (or ASEAN+8) be a foundation of at least a loose federation of Asia?
Eh, does it counts as Asian Union?
 
One challenge often encountered in AH, is IMO that of getting Japan and China to reconcile. I think it's an interesting field and thus here's an idea:
- Have a Japan that successfully supports a revolutionary uprising in Southern China (they tried this in OTL but the UK made them hit 'cancel') which leads to the overthrow of the Qing and beginning of the Warlord era. Simultaneously, have Soviet Russia (or just Russia) gain more influence in the north and complicate China's reunification.
- By 1925 or 1930, China is still split between a powerful Japan-supported party based from the south (similar to the OTL KMT), but there are still many warlords supported by the Russians or otherwise opposed to the Japanese-backed party.
- Intensification of conflicts in China, with the alt-KMT (supprorted by Japan), warlords, Russia and Japan as major players. This happens in the 30s-50s.
- After this period of prolonged and confused fighting, China is finally more or less unified under the alt-KMT, which is in strong alliance with Japan. Conflicts with various Western powers keeps the friendship afloat.
- By the 60s or 70s, an Asian union has been explicitly formed, perhaps with the intent being that it would rally the colonized peoples of SE Asia. In any case, as decolonization occurs, the Asian Union gets more members as they undergo an "oriental mode" of economic and political development. Perhaps it is opposed to western imperialism and/or Communist rhetoric.

There you have it. Not sure if entirely plausible.
I really like this idea. For one thing, it would lead to a much more stable East Asia. It might also lead to earlier decoloniation in the area. The can even see the Japanese being seen as more favorable allies than the Russians--this was certainly the case in the Russo-Japanese War. The Russian troops would just take what they needed from the locals, whereas the Japanese made some effort to buy from the locals. If they act intelligently (not a small change, sadly), they should be able to convince the Chinese they are fighting on their side, even when they are fightin in (but not against) China. But this requires the Japanese to see their interests in having the Chinese as allies, and not simply as exploited labor.

The only downside I see is that it would make all of those "Yellow Peril" idiots seem to be correct. If portions of the West think that the "Yellow race" is uniting against them, and that a racial war is possible, things could get ugly fast...
 
I really like this idea. For one thing, it would lead to a much more stable East Asia. It might also lead to earlier decoloniation in the area. The can even see the Japanese being seen as more favorable allies than the Russians--this was certainly the case in the Russo-Japanese War. The Russian troops would just take what they needed from the locals, whereas the Japanese made some effort to buy from the locals. If they act intelligently (not a small change, sadly), they should be able to convince the Chinese they are fighting on their side, even when they are fightin in (but not against) China. But this requires the Japanese to see their interests in having the Chinese as allies, and not simply as exploited labor.
I think this is the biggest issue. How can Japan not see China with imperialist lust? Perhaps they have better luck winning over the Koreans as an independent ally (though 1900 is probably too late) rather than annexing it outright, and then try to enact similar measures in China by supporting progressive elements. I was thinking that having the Qing fall earlier would make the Japanese really feel the need to keep China from totally falling to the West, thus they could support the new RoC. Sun Yat-sen and many other OTL revolutionaries did study in Japan after all, and were to an extent supported by the Japanese.


The only downside I see is that it would make all of those "Yellow Peril" idiots seem to be correct. If portions of the West think that the "Yellow race" is uniting against them, and that a racial war is possible, things could get ugly fast...
But what can they do? The "West" is not a collective bloc, they will be fighting against each other as well. You might have Russia and Japan (as well as Britain and France, to a lesser extent) in heated contest over China and Asia in general, but these powers will have problems all over the world to deal with, especially if something like WW1 and WW2 still occurs. I'd like to think that the USA wouldn't be as aggressive as, say, Russia; TR Roosevelt IIRC was rather pro-Japan and might be willing to let it do what it wants in Asia as long as American interests (Open Door, etc) are not threatened, i.e. the Japanese agree to respect them.
 
Asia is probably too diverse and divergent for a continental-wide union to be plausible in the twentieth century. Although, a Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity sphere spanning the continent is interesting conceptually.
 
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