With bilateral trade booming, why are Japan-China tensions rising?

What happened: Japan and China are spending billions to reduce dependence on each other even as their bilateral trade remains deeply intertwined, a shift described as "weaponized interdependence" amid U.S.-China competition. Key numbers: 2024 Japan-China bilateral trade volume was $308.3 billion. Why it matters: Economic ties once seen as a foundation of regional stability are now treated as strategic vulnerability, pushing both countries to seek strategic autonomy while staying tethered to each other's markets.

Japan and China are spending billions to reduce dependence on each other even as their bilateral trade remains deeply intertwined, a shift described as "weaponized interdependence" amid U.S.-China competition.

Economic ties once seen as a foundation of regional stability are now treated as strategic vulnerability, pushing both countries to seek strategic autonomy while staying tethered to each other's markets.