hankyoreh

Zhang Xiaoming

Zhang Xiaoming, a professor of international relations at Peking University’s School of International Studies, said that the meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping was itself a symbol of a “time of change” in South Korea-China relations. In a telephone interview with the Hankyoreh on Nov. 13, Zhang, a scholar of China’s relations with its neighbors and great power relations, concluded that, contrary to expectations, US-China relations have become stable since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump.

Hankyoreh (Hani): South Koreans were expecting a lot from the South Korea-China summit, but President Xi reconfirmed China’s position of adamant opposition on the THAAD issue. What does that mean?

Zhang Xiaoming (Zhang): China’s position on the THAAD issue has never changed, and there’s no way it would suddenly change now. The THAAD issue still stands between South Korea and China. The two countries’ positions were supposedly reconciled through an agreement on Oct. 31, but China is still watching. However, the two countries carried out dialogue on foreign policy and military matters, and they will do the same in the future.

Hani: Does that mean we can’t expect a complete restoration of bilateral relations for the time being?

Zhang: President Moon met President Xi first in Germany and then in Vietnam, too, didn’t he? That would have been unimaginable in the past, when bilateral relations were poor. A “time of change” has already begun for South Korea-China relations. But even if relations are restored, a complete return to the past does not appear possible. But things will be better than they were last year or the beginning of this year.

Hani: What impression did you get of President Trump’s visit to China?

Zhang: It was much better than I expected. I didn’t expect that deals worth more than US$250 billion would be reached in the areas of the economy and trade. Based on what has been made public thus far, I don’t think that communication between President Xi and President Trump went that poorly.

Hani: There was no major progress on their positions on the North Korean nuclear issue.

Zhang: When it comes to the North Korean nuclear issue, there’s little disagreement between China and the US on their shared view that the North cannot be recognized as a nuclear power state and that it must denuclearize. The peaceable solution that China desires is also shared by South Korea and other neighbors. Furthermore, China has voted in favor of all the UN Security Council’s sanctions resolutions against North Korea, which have gradually become tougher. China is not opposed to putting pressure on North Korea. But in order to reach a breakthrough, there ultimately must be direct dialogue between North Korea and the US.

Hani: It’s widely thought that the Indo-Pacific doctrine (the so-called “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” strategy) that President Trump has mentioned recently is designed to counter China.

Zhang: “Indo-Pacific” is nothing new – it was also used under President Barack Obama and as far back as the 1920s. To be sure, strengthening US-India relations is on some level designed to counter China. But in contrast to the concerns voiced by many people before President Trump took office, since his inauguration China-US relations have ended up moving toward stability.

By Kim Oi-hyun, Beijing correspondent

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