Mutual dependence among big powers in the economic area is another factor which favors, if not effective multilateralism, then at least cooperative behavior.
The relationship between China and the US or between China and Japan is characterized by far reaching dependence on market access, on investment, on the outsourcing of production elements, on financing of deficits, or on the management of dollar reserves.
In the Chinese-US relationship mutual economic dependence is a powerful incentive not to let tensions on political issues rise to a dangerous level.
The same should be true for the Chinese-Japanese relationship, although their inability to adequately deal with shared history as well as the way they handle nationalism make their deepening economic relationship brittle.