Economic History: China, Japan, and Global Trade

3–4 credits · Graduate

How did China and Japan become two of the world's leading economic powers, and how did East Asia shape the global economy? This course traces three centuries of economic transformation, from early modern maritime trade and imperial competition to industrialization, globalization, and today's U.S.-China economic tension. We will examine how China and Japan responded to Dutch, Spanish, British, and American Empires while building their own commercial networks, institutions, and development strategies. Topics include the tributary system (Canton and Nagasaki Systems), trade network, imperialism and colonialism, industrialization, transnational finance, technology, Keynesianism, and the global trade regime (GATT and WTO) etc. We will also place contemporary tensions in historical perspectives, from American fears of Japan's rise in the 1980s to the U.S.-China trade war after 2018. No prior background in economics or East Asian history is required. The course is designed for undergraduate and graduate students interested in global history, economic history, international relations, geopolitics, political economy, and the making of the modern world. Instructor: Dr. Xiaoyu Gao