Beijing, Seoul willing to manage rift, improve ties

The latest engagement between the foreign ministers of China and the Republic of Korea has signaled the two countries' willingness to manage differences and improve ties, marking a new starting point in high-level bilateral exchanges, observers said.

In a meeting with his ROK counterpart Cho Tae-yul on Monday in Beijing, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that bilateral relations have been facing difficulties and challenges, which is not in the common interest of both sides and is not what China wants to see.

Wang expressed the hope that Seoul will work with Beijing to uphold good neighborliness and friendship, stick to mutually beneficial cooperation, eliminate interference, and jointly push for the sound and steady development of bilateral ties.

There is no fundamental conflict of interest between the two countries, he said, calling for the two sides to understand and respect each other, strengthen communication and exchanges, eliminate misunderstandings and enhance mutual trust.

China hopes the ROK will abide by the one-China principle, properly and prudently handle Taiwan-related issues and consolidate the political foundation of bilateral relations, Wang said.

Cho's two-day visit, which ended on Tuesday, marked the first trip to Beijing by an ROK foreign minister since November 2017. It was also his first visit to China since taking office in January, which Wang said is expected to play a positive role in improving bilateral relations.

China is the largest trading partner, largest export market and largest source of imports for the ROK, while the ROK is China's third-largest trading partner. Bilateral trade volume exceeded $310 billion last year, statistics showed.

Observers said that Cho's visit shows that Seoul attaches great importance to its relationship with Beijing, highlighting the priority of cooperation as well as the importance of communication and dialogue in managing bilateral ties.

They noted that the incumbent ROK government took a pro-United States diplomatic approach and some politicians, following in the footsteps of Washington, made malicious statements on the Taiwan question and other China-related issues.

Park Cheol-hee, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Seoul National University, told ROK national broadcaster KBS that the twists and turns in bilateral relations have not changed the fact that China and the ROK are each other's important cooperative partners, so it is not only possible but also necessary to properly handle China-ROK ties.

Li Jiacheng, an associate professor at Liaoning University's School of International Studies, said that Cho's visit shows that Seoul is attempting to find a balance between its relationships with Beijing and Washington.

"This is why Wang stressed 'eliminate interference' during his meeting with Cho, because China hopes the ROK will maintain diplomatic independence," Li said.

According to the ROK Foreign Ministry, Cho pointed out during his four-hour talk with Wang that the ROK's relationships with China and the US are not zero-sum, which denotes that aligning closely with one country does not mean drifting away from the other.

The ROK is willing to enhance mutual trust, expand consensus and focus on cooperation with China, thereby avoiding geopolitical tensions as much as possible and jointly opening up a new front for bilateral cooperation, he said.

In addition to bilateral ties, trilateral cooperation among China, the ROK and Japan, was also on the agenda of the two foreign ministers' meeting. It is reported a trilateral leaders' meeting will be held.

Face-to-face communication at the leadership level will clarify each other's policies and positions and is conducive to security and stability in Northeast Asia, said Li, the associate professor.