This book analyzes the structural dynamics of the Sino-American-Japanese triangular relationship by exploring how the 1971 Nixon-Kissinger announcement to pursue reapprochment with the People's Republic of China (PRC), in the context of the overal detente strategy, fundamentally altered the U.S.-Japanese relationship. It argues that the systematic structure of international relations in East Asia during the detente period was similar in significant ways to today's post-Cold War period. Highlighting the importance of China to U.S. policy options towards East Asia enables us to provide a more informed perspective on future directions of the Sino-U.S.-Japanese triangular relationship in the twenty-first century.