September 18, 1931
Japanese troops provocatively destroyed a section of railway in north Shenyang and attacked the Chinese garrison at Beidaying, Shenyang, on the same night, this led to the "September 18th incident."
September 19, 1931
In the morning, the Japanese army occupied Shenyang. Because the Kuomintang government ordered "nonresistance," the Japanese forces occupied major cities and towns in Liaoning province in few days.
September 23, 1931
Chiang Kai-shek gave a speech in which he went so far as to order the army and the people to "take the rough with the smooth and wait for the judgment of the League of Nations."
During the Japanese occupation of China, an estimated 30 million Chinese were killed. In the Rape of Nanking or Nanking Massacre, at least 369,366 people were slaughtered and 80,000 women were raped by Japanese invasion troops.
The Japanese aggression caused 35 million deaths and casualties of Chinese people and US$600 billion of economic losses in China. China won the war eight years later.
1970s - Normalization of Sino-Japanese Relations
1980s - Considerable progress made in Sino-Japanese relations
1990s - Bilateral structural change and warmer economic exchanges
Early 2000s - Cooling down
2005-2010 - Revival of Sino-Japanese relations
2010-now - Deterioration of Sino-Japanese relations
VIP visits between China and Japan over the past 40 years.
The State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China on Tuesday published a white paper on Diaoyu Dao, an inherent territory of China.
China's historical literatures show that Diaoyu Dao was first discovered, named and exploited by China, says a white paper issued by the Chinese government on Tuesday.
Sept 16: Beijing announced it will submit a partial submission concerning the outer limits of the continental shelf to the United Nations in its latest move to defend its maritime sovereignty.
Sept 15: The China's State Oceanic Administration released the exact longitude and latitude of the Diaoyu Island and 70 of its affiliated islets, in a new move to affirm China's sovereignty.
Sept 14: China sent its maritime surveilance ships to waters around Diaoyu Islands.
Sept 11: The Japanese government has exchanged the official contract on the purchase of Diaoyu Islands with Kurihara family whom the Japanese side called "the private owner".
Sept 10: Chinese FM Yang Jiechi urgently summoned Japanese Ambassador to China for a meeting to lodge solemn representations.
The following is a brief introduction to the major events in China-Japan relations: