hankyoreh

At their summit meeting in Beijing on May 27, Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Chinese Premier Hu Jintao agreed to adopt a joint statement that elevates bilateral relations to a “strategic partnership,” it has been learned.

A high-ranking government official said on May 20 that it had been decided to promote the relationship to a “strategic partnership” from one officially described as a “full cooperative partnership.”

Strategic partnerships are the highest level of bilateral relations that China maintains with other countries. In the nineties, the country had strategic partnerships with only the United States and Russia, but, starting in the 21st century, began giving the term “strategic” a wider interpretation that includes “future-oriented” significance. In addition to the United States and Russia, China now maintains that level of relations with 18 countries: Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Pakistan, Portugal, Nigeria, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom and Venezuela. In practice, however, a “strategic partnership” with each of these countries means something different to China’s leadership.

Since the Republic of Korea and the People’s Republic of China established diplomatic relations in 1992, the status of the relationship has developed from what was initially a “friendly cooperative relationship” to a “cooperative partnership” in 1998, and a “full cooperative partnership” in 2003.

At the China-Japan summit in Tokyo on May 7, those two countries agreed to pursue a “strategic beneficial relationship.”

As of the end of 2007, China is Korea’s biggest trading partner at US$145 billion. More Korean products are exported to China than any other country, at US$82 billion annually and Korea earns US$19 billion from trade between the two countries. Korea is China’s third largest trading partner, following the United States and Japan.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]