By Jin Kai
China’s charm offensive toward South Korea could have implications for the U.S.-ROK alliance.
The China-Republic of Korea (ROK) relationship is at its “best in history” since President Xi Jinping and President Park Geun-hye assumed office. China’s diplomacy reflects this: Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Seoul was uncharacteristically a single-country trip. Obviously, South Korea is an important East Asian country, and has a very important role in China’s relations with its neighboring countries.
The economic cooperation between these two countries has been truly miraculous. In 1992, the total trade volume between China and South Korea was merely $6 billion. That number has skyrocketed to over $270 billion 2013, which is more than the value of ROK-Japan and ROK-U.S. trade combined. Further, the China-ROK political relationship has transcended bilateral ties, as both maintain a substantial level of communication and cooperation in regional multilateral affairs.
What’s more, China seems to have launched a new charm offensive toward South Korea. China constructed the Ahn Jung-geun Memorial in Harbin, memorializing the Korean responsible for the death of Ito Hirobumi. China has also built a Korean Liberation Army Memorial in Xi’an with plans for another in Chongqing. Then there was an advertisement in China Youth Daily favoring South Korea’s claim in the naming dispute over the sea between South Korea and Japan. At every turn, China is offering support to South Korea, especially on issues involving Japan’s imperial history.
Read the full story at The Diplomat