The alleged danger of war between China and Japan is vastly overblown: it is a form of theater enacted mainly for the benefit of domestic audiences. In spite of a small drop in trade recently, a broader overview shows commercial activity between the two countries is at an all-time high and continues to rise. The two countries are in the process of negotiating a free trade agreement. War between China and Japan? Left to themselves, there would be zero chance of that: it’s only the American insistence on the dangerous idea of „collective defense“ that threatens the peace of the region.