Germany decides pre 1897 to not seek Tsingtao concession in China but would try to seek an alliance with China as a counterweight to Russia and as a place to sell goods.
Germany sends military advisors and arms (just take the cost of fortifying and developing Tsingtao and apply it to here)
When it comes time to buy the remaining Spanish possesions in the Pacific in the Spanish American war, the Germans let the Japanese have the Marianas (except Yap). Germany still takes the Carolines.
War happens in 1914 just the same. Germany and Japan have no reason to fight so Japan stays neutral.
China is also neutral as in OTL, but German advisors and civilians flaunt themselves all over China especially in the western regions where China meets Afghanistan, and meets the "stan" regions of southern Russia. Escaped German and Austrian POWs add to the Central Powers nationals in western China.
When these regions break out in revolt as OTL in 1916.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basmachi_movement
These German agents operating out of western China cross the border to support and organize this movement with arms, cash and advisors, these revolts are more succesful than OTL.
In response the Allies demand China intern all German nationals, close their borders and sever diplomatic relations with the Central Powers.
The Chinese try to negotiate and stall, not wanting to abandon their ally, the Allies eager for Chinese land, worried about Russia (and even India) and expecting an easy victory are impatient, don't wait on the Chinese and declare war on China in late 1916. The British offer the Japanese a big chunk of China if they join in and so they do.
The Japanese with small British support occupy coastal regions, but the Russians just prove incapable at this point in time, with their southern regions in revolt and the general disorganization torwards revolution starting to happen, fail to really get anything going in attacking China, so China survives.
The USA is annoyed at the DOW of the Allies on China where they had an open door policy. The USA offers China relief aid. This foreign policy screw up of the Allies changes the USA attitudes about the war and the USA tries to be more neutralist.
Germany seeing Russia with her southern regions in revolt, the Chinese holding out and the USA sending aid to the Chinese, think things are going their way more than in OTL, so wait on unrestricted submarine warfare to see how things play out.
With the USA out the Germans win a favorable compromise peace with the Allies in late 1918 and the Allies are forced to evacuate China.