How South Korea Maintained Good Relations With China?

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

Diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) were formally established in the 1980s.
Before then, the PRC recognized only the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) while South Korea in turn recognized only the Republic of China (Taiwan).
South Korea was the last Asian country to establish relations with the People’s Republic of China.
In recent years, China and South Korea have endeavored strategic and cooperative partnership in numerous sectors while promoting a high level relationship

HISTORY OF TROUBLED RELATIONS

During the Song and Ming Dynasty, China shared a close trade and diplomatic relationship with Goryeo and the Joseon Dynasty of Korea respectively.

The Ming assisted Joseon during Japanese invasion of Korea (1592-1598), in which the Ming Emperor sent 2,21,500 troops
There were series of Events which deteriorated relations between both the nations

Korean War

The newly established People’s Republic of China participated in the Korean War between 1950 and 1953, sending the People’s Volunteer Army to fight alongside Soviet Union against United States and United Nations troops in October 1950.
It successfully drove the UN forces out of North Korea, but its own offensive into the South itself was repelled.
The participation of the PVA strained relations between South Korea and China.
The Korean War concluded in July 1953, resulting in the establishment of the Korean Demilitarized Zone, and the eventual withdrawal of Chinese forces from the Korean Peninsula.

US troops though have remained in South Korea to this day.

Cold War

Throughout the Cold War, there were no official relations between the PRC and ROK
The PRC maintained close relations with North Korea, and South Korea maintained diplomatic relations with the Republic of China in Taiwan.
This hindered trade between Seoul and Beijing, because South Korea was unable to protect its citizens and business interests in China without some form of international agreements.
Beijing’s economic needs involving South Korea were initially eclipsed by those of Moscow.

Relations under Nordpolitik Policy

Nordpolitikwas the signature foreign policy of South Korean president Roh Tae-woo (6^th President)
The policy guided South Korean efforts to reach out to normalize relations with North Korea, China and the Soviet Union.
The policy improved the South’s economy while leaving the North more isolated and was a dramatic and historic turning point of South Korea’s diplomatic goals.
South Korea’s 5^th and 6^th Presidents (1961–1983) also tries to establish relations with China and the Soviet Union, and improve those with North Korea.

Official Contact

Seoul’s official contact with Beijing started by the landing of a hijacked CAAC Flight 296 in May 1983 China sent a delegation of 33 officials to Seoul to negotiate its return. This marked the beginning of a series of casual exchanges of citizens.

EG- Sportsmen, Inspection Officers for industries, Delegated in international Conferences etc.
Academics, journalists, and particularly families divided between South Korea and China were able to exchange visits freely in the late 1980s.

GROWTH OF DIPLOMATIC TIES

In 1983, it was a “friendly cooperative relationship”
In 1998, it was called a “collaborative partnership for the 21st century”
In 2003, it was described as a “comprehensive cooperative partnership”
In 2008, it was considered a “strategic cooperative partnership”
In 2014 it was called an “enriched strategic cooperative partnership”

POST COLD WAR REFORMS

TRADE

By 2004 China had become South Korea’s leading trading partner

After the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement was finalized in 2007, the Chinese government immediately began seeking an FTA agreement with South Korea
The China-Republic of Korea Free Trade Agreement was finalized on December 20, 2015.
Tariffs on various products including medical equipment, transformers, etc. were eliminated

PRODUCTS

In 2011 South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) established 2 teams of China experts and language specialists under its department handling Chinese affairs in an effort to strengthen diplomacy.
MOFAT, also launched a centre dedicated to China affairs, to act as a hub to collate research on China undertaken in Korea

Changing Scenarios

In 2013 a summit between both Nation’s Presidents showed promise of warming relations, but this quickly chilled after China extended their Air Defense Identification Zone (East China Sea) over South Korean territory.
Despite this, in July 2014, Xi visited South Korea before its traditional ally North Korea, and both leaders affirmed their support for a nuclear-free Korean peninsula and the ongoing free trade agreement negotiations

In May 2021, South Korean President issued a statement remarking that South Korea would work with the United States on stability in Taiwan, which provoked a warning from China

Tensions between South Korea and China

In late 2016, the United States and South Korea jointly announced the deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense(THAAD), allegedly in response to nuclear and missile threats by North Korea
The move drew opposition from China and Russia
The S. states that the deployment of the THAAD is “purely a defensive measure only aimed at North Korea” and has no intention to threaten China’s security interests.

In 2017, Chinese citizens protested & boycotted South Korean products like Hyundai cars, South Korean goods were removed from supermarket shelves, and tourists and travel companies cancelled trips to South Korea

To relieve the economic strain South Korean president promised :-

He would not participate in the US missile defense system
He was not considering the additional deployment of THAAD
Japan-US-Korea security cooperation would not develop into a military alliance

In 2020, a member and also leader of South Korean boy group BTS, made a speech about the Korean War, where he told South Korea shared history of pains with the United States.
This caused uproar in China and demanded boycott Korean popular culture.
This has led to backlash among some Korean netizens who accused China of exaggerating the situation

4 Meddling with History

In 2020, South Korean media outlet JTBC discovered that a number of American schools’ textbooks have taught Korea as part of China and only gained independence from China in 1876, causing uproars and criticisms that China is trying to manipulate history of Korea and U.S. schools were complicit on neglecting the education.

5 Joint stance on Japan

Due to the Empire of Japan and atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army on both Koreans and Chinese, especially on women turned prostitutes during WWII (known as comfort women) and the Japanese colonization of Korea to the Nanjing Massacre (during 2^nd Sino-Japanese war), South Korea and China are unified in their stance against Japan and insistence on greater reparations for Japan wartime atrocities.

Public opinion

A 2013 BBC/GlobeScan poll found that 44% of Chinese had a positive view of South Korea’s influence while 28% had a negative view.
A 2015 survey referenced in The Hankyorehfound that 1% of Chinese respondents had a favourable view of South Korea
A 2021 survey conducted by scholars from Rice University, the University of British Columbia, and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy had 43% of Chinese expressing an unfavourable view of South Korea, compared to 49% expressing a favourable view

Q) Nine-dashed line, recently in news is related to ?

European migration crisis
Ukraine- Crimea border
Syria – ISIS boundary
South China Sea

ANSWER: South China Sea

– The nine-dashed line is also called as a nine-dotted line or U-shaped line or nine-dash map.
– It refer to the demarcation line used initially by the government of the Republic of China(ROC / Taiwan) and subsequently also by the government of the People’s Republic of China(PRC), for their claims of the major part of the South China Sea(SCS)
– The contested area in the SCS includes the Paracel Islands,the Spratly Islands, and various other areas including the Pratas Islands, the Macclesfield Bank and the Scarborough Shoal.