After a hiatus of five years, Shinzo Abe became Japan's prime minister again on December 26. What will this mean for Sino-Japanese relations, which are at a 40-year low because of the Diaoyu Islands dispute?

Many observers earlier believed that the Chinese government had been expecting the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) to step down from power, so they knew it wasn't very useful to start negotiations with then prime minister Yoshihiko Noda to repair the two countries' relations. But they hope to resume talks with Abe who, during his previous premiership in 2006-07 agreed to develop "mutually beneficial strategic relations."