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For the next three decades

Published: 23 Aug. 2022, 20:02

Wednesday marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with China. It was a milestone decision by the conservative Roh Tae-woo administration to address the new challenges of the post-Cold War era after putting behind their troubled past of military confrontation during the 1950-53 Korean War. Since the normalization of ties on August 24, 1992, the two countries improved their relations at a fast pace and made remarkable achievements through brisk human exchanges and close economic cooperation.

The total amount of trade between the two countries snowballed to $301.5 billion last year, a whopping 47 times increase from a paltry $6.4 billion thirty years ago. Korea contributed to the emergence of China as an economic power today through aggressive investments in China and generous technology transfers in the early days of normalized ties. China’s vast market also provided fertile ground for Korea to join the ranks of developed economies.

However, the honeymoon period for the two neighboring countries is coming to an end after 30 years. Even before the sharp conflict over Korea’s deployment of the U.S. Thaad missile defense system in 2016 subsides, the heated Sino-U.S. contest over global hegemony shakes the very foundation of Korea-China relations. The unprecedented trade deficit Korea has experienced with China for four consecutive months since May effectively illustrates grave qualitative changes in their economic relations. That’s not all. Opinion polls show anti-China sentiment in Korea has deepened more than ever. The time has come for the two countries to redefine — and reshape — their relationship and move forward rather than sticking with the old paradigm.

To reestablish their relations, both sides need to adopt the principle of “respecting each other’s differences yet seeking harmony” based on mutual trust above all. Nevertheless, the way China has been behaving falls far short of our expectations. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi still attempts to teach Korea, as seen in his recent presentation of “Five things Korea must do” or his intermittent reiteration of a threat to retaliate if Korea chooses a path China does not want. No doubt, such blind high-handedness does more harm than good.

Decisions the Yoon Suk-yeol administration will make toward China amid the worsening U.S.-China rivalry are directly related to Korea’s national interest. The conservative government must maintain solid principles based on universal values while adroitly explaining its position to China at the same time so as not to damage their relations in the future. That approach will certainly help the two countries further develop their ties for the next 30 years.