CHIBA, Japan -- China's tech companies are making a push to unlock business opportunities in Japan, despite a severe diplomatic chill between the neighbors.

At the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (CEATEC) trade show near Tokyo on Tuesday, a crowd gathered around a booth for a demonstration of a dancing humanoid robot.

The state-of-the-art machine was made by LimX Dynamics, a Shenzhen-based embodied AI robotics startup. Luo Jiebin, who is in charge of opening up the market, said the performances at CEATEC marked the Japanese debut for the company's robots.

Luo revealed to Nikkei Asia that LimX is about to set up a subsidiary in Japan with a showroom to display its products and conduct business deals with local clients. She said working with real robots is necessary to customize them for specific needs. The property in Tokyo has been secured and could open as early as the end of the month, she said.

LimX -- which showed how its devices can not only dance but also, say, move goods -- is prioritizing Japan as a model for other Asian markets it aims to target, including South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand. "If we are able to tell people about our presence in Japan, that is not going to be a bad story in other places," Luo said.

The growing company closed a $200 million pre-initial public offering round of funding in July, following one of the same size earlier in the year, bringing in investors from Europe, the Middle East and North America.

Asked about making a strategic first step into Japan at a time when bilateral relations have soured, Luo replied, "There's nothing we could do about it."

Ties between the two nations sharply deteriorated after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made remarks in parliament nearly a year ago about the risks of a Taiwan crisis. Beijing has imposed various sanctions against Tokyo, from cancelling many direct flights, restricting rare-earth exports and blacklisting Japanese companies to launching a diplomatic campaign accusing Takaichi's government of "neo-militarism." Despite the persistent political pressure, a sluggish domestic Chinese economy is pushing companies to explore overseas markets, including Japan. Numerous Chinese exporters showed up at CEATEC, a prominent annual tech event running through Friday alongside the Japan Mobility Show Bizweek at the Makuhari Messe convention center on the outskirts of Tokyo.

Shenzhen Magoo Technology, a consumer electronics and tech-accessory manufacturing startup from Shenzhen, was also making its first appearance at CEATEC.

Shenzhen Magoo Technology, which sells smartphone accessories under the brand Auluma, aims to enhance its position in Japan after a promising start.

Duan Chunhui, the company's overseas account manager, told Nikkei Asia at its sleekly designed booth that getting a place at the show was about "enhancing our brand recognition and awareness in Japan," after promising initial responses in the consumer market.

The company, which goes by its brand name Auluma, inspired by Ancient Greek words meaning "precision and efficiency," entered the Japanese market in earnest this year. Since August, its smartphone accessories have been sold at four branches of a major electronics retailer in Tokyo. Like LimX, Magoo is also preparing to establish a subsidiary in Japan, likely next year.

Duan, who is in charge of cultivating new business partners in Japan, said he has not noticed much impact from the diplomatic friction. He suspects many consumers may not recognize the company as Chinese, perhaps due to its Greek-style brand name. With no obvious signs at the CEATEC booth of the company's origin, he said, "There are people asking, which country is this brand from?"

Another Chinese newcomer to the show was Shenzhen Cenker Technology Group, a manufacturer of inductors, an electronic component used for products such as printers and displays. "We are definitely trying to explore more [opportunities] in Japan, even though there's this politics thing," said Cai Shanglin, who also goes by Kevin Cai, the company's overseas sales director. "We are only doing business." Cai stressed that his company has had business relationships with Japanese corporations for about 15 years, which he stressed are supported by reliable, affordable products.

"I know Japanese clients have some concerns with Chinese businesses," he conceded. To ease such worries, he said the company this year established a new Thai factory in Samut Prakan, near Bangkok. He said that if clients are wary of purchasing directly from its factory in the southern mainland Chinese region of Guangxi, they "could directly trade with our Thailand factory." Guide Group President Lyu Zungui greets potential customers at the parts maker's CEATEC booth.

Hunan-based Guide Group, which produces electronic parts for home appliances and toys, was at CEATEC for a fourth time. President Lyu Zungui was at the company's booth to meet potential customers.

He said the impact of the Tokyo-Beijing spat is "still OK," although he is not counting on quick results in Japan. The market is part of his strategy to expand external revenue to half the total, from about 20% now.

Asked whether this is to deal with the harsh competition at home, or what China calls "involution," Lyu said, "Yeah, you can say it that way." For Dongguan Y-star Precision Manufacturing, which provides parts and services for high-tech products out of Dongguan and Shenzhen, the Japanese market is a new frontier. After two decades of doing business with U.S. customers, those dealings have dwindled, especially under the second term of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Japan shares U.S. concerns over sensitive tech products and the diplomatic tensions add another headwind, but Luo Ping, a manager tasked with cultivating new clients in Japan, sounded unfazed. "If you don't try then you don't get anything," he said.

Not everyone at CEATEC was so sanguine about the poor relations between Japan and China. Guo Jinhui, or Sophie Guo, global business development manager at Shenzhen Grepow Battery, said when asked for her interpretation of conditions: "It is not OK. I can feel it." Shenzhen Grepow Battery's global business development manager says she can feel some effects of the diplomatic chill between Tokyo and Beijing.

Guo said decision-making by some Japanese clients is getting slower -- such as clients testing batteries without giving specific deadlines for a response. Nevertheless, she said she would persevere.

"The Japanese market is difficult to judge," said Guo, who has exhibited at CEATEC before. "Only with one or two times in shows, you can't tell whether it's worth it or not."