TOKYO - The entire Japanese Cabinet resigned early Tuesday ahead of a vote in parliament expected to elect nationalist Shinzo Abe as the new prime minister with a promise to create a more assertive nation and give its military a larger international role.

But the surge in Japan’s assertiveness coincides with the spectacular rise of China’s clout in the region — risking ever greater competition over resources， political influence and military stature in an stable region.

Beijing reacted testily to Abe’s landslide victory in last week’s ruling party elections， issuing a terse statement urging the new leader to improve frayed bilateral relations.

He’s hinted at that already， publicly acknowledging the need to strengthen ties with China. A top Abe aide on Sunday said setting up a meeting with Chinese leader??????? Hu Jintao was high on the new leader’s agenda.Still， elements of Abe’s program could complicate the road to better relations.

Though soft-spoken， Abe has some bold goals: he promises to raise Japan’s international stature and revise the country’s pacifist constitution to give the military a more prominent role.

He has also pledged to bring more patriotism to schools， and boost Japan’s military alliance with the United States — both sore points with the Chinese， who feel that Japanese textbooks gloss over Japan’s wartime atrocities， and that the U.S.-Japan alliance is aimed at containing Beijing.Those stands have raised concerns in the region.

"Abe’s rhetoric is very dangerous， given China’s growing clout in the region，" said Hiro Katsumata， a research fellow at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore."It could prompt China to become coercive， and take a more hard-line approach，" Katsumata said. "Today’s China won’t back down."