….Korea and China have maintained a close relationship since 1992, when they reestablished diplomatic ties that had been severed after the Communists came to power in Beijing in 1949.
Historical and cultural bonds over two millennia underlie their ties, which are evolving into a more mature, substantive and multidimensional partnership based on their growing geopolitical and economic interdependence.
The improving ties are symbolized by the friendship between their current leaders, Park Geun-hye and Xi Jinping.
Since their inaugurations early last year, the two presidents have had five summits. Most recently in Seoul in July, they displayed a united front against a nuclear-armed North Korea and Japan’s lack of atonement for its wartime atrocities, including the sexual enslavement of Asian women at frontline military brothels.
Economic exchange is a vital part of Sino-South Korea relations. China is South Korea’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching $229 billion in 2013 ― more than South Korea’s combined trade with the U.S. and the European Union.
With a pool of China specialists being a must for conglomerates, nearly 1 million South Koreans were working in China last year. Seoul’s busiest shopping districts are brimming with Chinese tourists, while restaurant brands have been opening Chinese branches to tap into the world’s second-largest economy….
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20140801000750
But the deepening ties between South Korea and China have posed a diplomatic challenge to Seoul as Washington is concerned that its pursuit of a three-way security collaboration with South Korea and Japan could go awry.
China’s recent moves to foster a new financial and security order in the region are also expected to pose tricky policy challenges for the South, which relies heavily on security cooperation with the U.S. to counter North Korean threats.
China has recently sought to build a new regional security architecture and set up the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, both of which would exclude the participation of the U.S. and other Western powers. These moves appear aimed at laying the foundation for China’s regional dominance, some observers say.
During their summit last month, Xi requested that Seoul join the AIIB. Washington had reportedly urged Seoul not to join the bank, which Western critics suspect could be a tool for challenging existing institutions such as the Asia Development Bank that have been dominated by Western states and Japan.
Amid China’s efforts to court the South, the U.S. has apparently been upping pressure on the South to support its “rebalancing policy” toward the Asia-Pacific, which China sees as intended to counter its rise.
As part of the policy, the U.S. has been bolstering its military presence and expressed its wish to deploy to Korea an advanced missile defense system, called the Theater High Altitude Area Defense, to better counter the North’s missile threats.
China has shown opposition to the deployment of THAAD as its radar system ― with a maximum detection range of some 1,800 km ― would cover China as well.
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