Li–Itō Convention

The Li-Itō Convention was an agreement between China and Japan in 1885 that aimed to de-escalate tensions over their influence in Korea. Both nations agreed to withdraw their troops from Korea and to inform each other before sending forces there in the future. This convention was a response to incidents where Japanese reformers attempted a coup in Korea, which was thwarted by Chinese troops.12

However, the underlying conflict for dominance in Korea persisted. Japan, having modernized rapidly, saw Korea as strategically vital and a market for its goods. China, viewing Korea as its most important tributary state, resisted Japanese encroachment. This rivalry ultimately led to the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894, where Japan's modernized military achieved decisive victories over China. The war concluded with the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which recognized Korea's independence and ceded territories to Japan, marking Japan's emergence as a major world power.12