Shinzo Abe became the first Japanese leader to visit China since 2011 when he arrived in Beijing on October 26, 2018. Ties between the two countries have been fragile since diplomatic relations resumed in 1972. There are still plenty of issues to be resolved, but the relationship is at a "historic turning point."

Experts say that US President Donald Trump's trade protectionism is the major reason behind Chinese-Japanese coziness. China and the US have been locked in a major trade dispute, with both countries imposing reciprocal tariffs worth billions of dollars. Vowing to put "America First," the Trump administration also targeted Japanese exports to reduce US trade deficit.

China is Japan's biggest trading partner and many Japanese companies have invested large sums in the country. While Japan is eager to access China's massive market, China is interested in Japan's technology and corporate expertise. China and Japan – the world's second and third biggest economies, respectively – believe that more economic cooperation would minimize US pressure on them.

But an increased economic cooperation would require the leaders of the two nations to overcome a number of political and territorial disputes. Tokyo is wary of Beijing's increasing political clout in Asia and its territorial aggression in both the East and South China seas. China sees Japan's military alliance with the US as a strategic move against its regional interests.

Beijing and Tokyo have unresolved territorial disputes involving a group of uninhabited islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. They are currently administered by Tokyo, but Beijing claims sovereignty over them. Tensions over the islands have seriously damaged Sino-Japanese relations, which remain fragile after Japan's wartime occupation of parts of China during World War II.

The Japanese stance on Nanjing killings has often been an obstacle in Sino-Japanese relations. In the run-up to World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army unleashed a six-week reign of terror during which it reportedly carried out mass killings and rapes in the city of Nanjing. Japan now admits "the killing of a large number of non-combatants," but continues to downplay the intensity of the event.

The North Korean conflict remains a contentious issue between China and Japan. While Japan wants a complete denuclearization of the North, China remains the biggest backer of the Kim regime in the region. On October 26, 2018, PM Abe said his country is committed to normalizing ties with Pyongyang, but several issues, including North Korea's kidnapping of Japanese citizens, must be resolved first.