This day 15 years ago, on August 24, 1992, China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) established formal diplomatic
relations
and opened a brand-new page in the annuals of bilateral ties. The forging of Sino-ROK diplomatic ties posed a very courageous and far-sighted strategic choice made by leaders of both
nations in breaking with the setup of Parties in Northeast Asia of the Cold War era.
Achievements so far made in Sino-ROK ties in the past 15 years have eloquently proven that the expansion of bilateral
relations facilitates peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the Northeast Asia region as a whole and, therefore, it complies with an aspiration of people and represents a historical trend.
Since the forging of their diplomatic ties, the two nations have scored brilliant attainments in such spheres as politics, economics and cultural exchanges. Sino-ROK ties have been grown not only rapidly but in a fairly comprehensive, balanced way. This constitutes a salient feature, which has been rare internationally.
Another major striking feature lies in the accelerated speed in the exchange of personnel between the two nations. At the end of 2006, there were more than 700,000 permanent ROK residents living in China and this figure was expected to rise by a rate of over 100,000 people a year to exceed the one-million mark in two or three years. Meanwhile, there are also more than 400,000 Chinese currently residing in ROK.
At present, there are close to 800 scheduled flights shuttling between the two nations, and such a rate of personnel exchange far exceeds the expectation of people. This implies that China and ROK are compatible with each other and closely related to each other in their geopolitical, economical and cultural relations.
Then, what strategic significance has the development of Sino-ROK relations incurred, and it is also an issue of concern to those people involved.
First, the forging of Sino-ROK diplomatic ties and the in-depth growth of bilateral relations facilitates resolving the setup of Parties in Northeast Asia during the Cold War era, stabilizing the situation on the Korean Peninsular, restraining the possibility for the recurrence of a war between the north and south, and effectively curbing to some extent the formation of the new cold war mentality in the region, thus paving way for the regional security and economic cooperation in years ahead.
Second, the in-depth growth of Sino-ROK comprehensive partnership of cooperation has improved the security environment in the surrounding areas of ROK and offered the country with greater options in term of strategic space. The sound cooperation between China and ROK in global and regional affairs has upgraded the latter''''s political status and influence in the Northeast Asian region immensely.