Japan-China diplomatic engagement remains shaped by persistent security frictions, including maritime activities in the East China Sea and Taiwan Strait stability concerns, alongside trade restrictions on Japanese products and rare earth exports. Sanae Takaichi’s first in-person meeting with Xi Jinping occurred on the sidelines of the 2025 APEC summit, where both sides reaffirmed commitment to a mutually beneficial strategic relationship and crisis management channels. As of mid-September 2026, no additional high-level bilateral summit has taken place amid ongoing tensions, though Japan’s ruling party secured a supermajority in recent elections and an ally won the Okinawa governorship, strengthening Takaichi’s domestic position for foreign policy moves. Scheduled multilateral events, notably the November 2026 APEC leaders’ meeting hosted by China in Shenzhen, represent the most proximate opportunity for renewed contact, with traders likely weighing procedural signals and any parallel U.S.-China developments that could influence Beijing’s willingness to engage.