According to Liu, the new US-Japanese guidelines can be seen as an example of "soft containment" by a maritime power against a continental power. It is very worthy of note, in this regard, that the PRC--which has, under Jiang Zemin, repaired relations with the US-- responded much less angrily than was expected to the revised guidelines. Indeed the PRC has continued to move forward actively in relations with the US.
根據劉必榮的分析，美日防衛合作指南可以看成是海權國家（美國）對陸權國家（中共）的「軟封鎖」，而比較值得注意的是，中共在江澤民積極與美國修好的政策下，對這樣的軟封鎖反應並沒有預期的激烈，而且還進一步與美國積極來往。