| bibo:abstract |
2013 ROK-PRC Summit:
Analysis and Future Tasks
July 8, 2013
LEE Ji-yong
Assistant Professor
Department of Asian and Pacific Studies
The ROK-PRC summit was
held on June 27, 2013. It was
the Park Geun-hye
government’s first summit
with China’s new leadership.
The summit was significant as it came at
a juncture where the two countries are
looking for a new momentum for a
qualitative evolution of bilateral relations.
The ROK-PRC relations have evolved
from a “friendly and cooperative
relations” in 1992 when the two
countries formally established the
diplomatic relations to a “relationship of
companions” in 1998. Then, the two
countries advanced to a “relationship of
comprehensive cooperation” in 2000, a
“comprehensive partnership” in 2003,
and a “strategic cooperative partnership”
in 2008. At the 2013 summit, the focus
was placed on strengthening the
substance of the strategic cooperative
partnership rather than re-defining their
relationship anew. To this end, Korea
selected “Shim Shin Ji Ryeo,” meaning a
journey of hearts and trust, as the slogan
for the summit – because in order to
develop the bilateral relations to a
strategic cooperative partnership in its
true sense, it would be critical for Korea
and China to share the future vision not
only in economic field but also in
political and security arena through
building trust.
At the summit, the leaders of the two
countries agreed to initiate a cooperative
mechanism as a preventive diplomacy to
deal with the issues that may hinder their
bilateral relations such as defining maritime
border, illegal fishing, and dispute over
history. To maximize the summit’s
outcome where the two sides agreed to
address the maritime boundary issue at an
earliest possible date, the Korean
government should actively work towards
its resolution by, for example, creating a
special taskforce. The dispute over history
is yet another issue that may unnecessarily
strain the bilateral relations. Given the
situation, Korea must begin its early
coordination work with China on the
history issue based on the preventive
diplomatic approach. As for the bilateral
FTA negotiations, it is required that the
Korean government takes full advantage
of the agreements at the summit so as to
maximize its economic interests.
Furthermore, the government needs to
develop economic strategies and measures
to realize economic opportunities in its
participation in the Chinese new
urbanization plans. Last but not least, now
that the negotiations for the Korea-China
FTA have gained momentum and are
nearing a completion stage, the
government should reexamine the positive
and negative effects of the FTA in each
industrial sector. Also, supports and
alternative development strategies would
need to be urgently prepared in areas
expecting to be adversely affected.
IFANS 2013 ©
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