Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Japan in 1972, the Chinese Government has made efforts to conclude agreements on trade, aviation and fishery with the Japanese Government in order to further develop Sino-Japanese relations.

In 1974, the two sides signed three agreements on trade, aviation and navigation, followed by the fishery agreement a year later. In 1975, China and Japan started negotiations on a treaty of peace and friendship.

On August 12, 1978, the two countries signed the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship, which called for peaceful settlement of disputes and laid out the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence. The treaty also promoted economic and cultural cooperation and exchange, and prohibited both countries from seeking regional hegemony.

In October of the same year, Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping accepted an invitation to visit Japan, and the two sides exchanged instruments of ratification of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship.

At the time, Deng said the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship reaffirmed the good-neighborly and friendly relations established by the Joint Statement of 1972. He said the treaty created new opportunities for exchange in all fields and would have a positive impact on peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region.