 |
|
"The Korean peninsula, one fifth of the Northeast Asian economy, is the bridge between China and Japan, as well as between the continent and the Pacific Ocean". In his inauguration ceremony on February 25 2003, Roh Moo-Hyun declared his "Age of Northeast Asia Plan", administration's economic blueprint to try to keep pace with the century of globalization ahead. The key to the plan is China. Utilizing China's economic power, Roh hopes to grasp the initiative among Northeast Asian economies and transform South Korea into an economic bridge between the continent and Japan. A noteworthy point is that there is no role for the United States in the "Age of Northeast Asia Plan." When Roh talked about the future of the South Korean economy in the context of his plan, neither the role nor the importance of the United States was mentioned. This is a striking difference from Kim Dae Jung, who stressed the importance of the United States as an economic ally during the foreign currency crisis five years ago. China has quickly emerged as a new security card for South Korea's prosperity and in the process is beginning to replace the United States. The relationship between China and South Korea has become increasingly close, especially in three areas where South Korean hopes and expectations of China are on the rise. First is the economic aspect. Since the two countries' normalization of ties in 1992, inter-economic activities have been constantly growing. Last September, South Korea and China celebrated the 10th anniversary of normalization of their bilateral relations at a time when China (including Hong Kong) was annually absorbing approximately 20.3 per cent of South Korean exports, thereby exceeding the amount exported to the United States - 20.2 per cent. Last year was the first time since the onset of the Korean War in 1950, that South Korean exports to China exceeded those to the U.S. For China too, South Korea has become one of its largest trading partners. South Korea took 7 per cent ($30.9 billion in September 2002) of the total Chinese trade volume of $445.1 billion. Though that was still only half of that to Japan, which makes up 15 per cent of China's trade volume (not including Taiwan and Hong Kong), South Korea is the third largest trade partner for China after Japan and the United States. The close economic relationship is even more prominent in the sphere of foreign investment. In 2002, South Korean foreign investment in China was $1 billion. That represented 50 per cent of all South Korean foreign investment made in 2002, exceeding the level of investment directed towards the United States (40 per cent), which had been the number one destination for a long time. South Korea used to be ranked number five among those countries which have investments in China. Second is the human and cultural exchange aspect. More than two million Korean and Chinese people visit each other every year. China has become the top travel destination for South Koreans, and last year as many as 1.6 million South Korean visited China. At the same time, the Chinese now take the top spot in terms of the number of foreign visitors to South Korea, around 440,000 visited in 2001 alone. Despite having 37,000 troops in South Korea, the United States did not record the largest number of overseas tourists in South Korea. Another telling example of the close relationship is the recent boom in young Koreans wanting to study in China. Currently one in three foreign students in China is a Korean. There are 24,000 Korean students studying in China, including those who stay less than three months. The number of Koreans who live as immigrants is also rapidly increasing. It is estimated that there are about 250,000 Korean immigrants living in Beijing, Tsingtao, Tianjin, Shenyang and Dailan. Third is the political aspect. As anti-American sentiment grows in Korea, China is regarded as the new hope that will replace the United States and become the key player in solving issues such as the North Korean nuclear problem, Korean unification and the North Korean refugee issue. In early January, the South Korean government decided to send its first special envoy on the North Korean nuclear issue, not to the U.S., but initially to China. The Presidential envoy visited Japan, the U.S. and Russia as well but it was China, however, which gave the most satisfactory responses. Another event which proved the importance of China was the reception staged for the 10th anniversary celebration of normalization of ties between South Korea and China on August 24 2002. At the Chinese Embassy reception in South Korea, about 300 of the most influential Koreans were gathered, including three former Presidents, presidential candidates, senior officials in the government as well as those from the private sector. No such a party has ever been organized during the course of friendship events staged by South Korea for the U.S. or Japan. Currently China and South Korea are planning two historical projects to enhance their economic, political and cultural ties. The first project revolves around building the largest Chinatown ever, in In Chong. The second project, meanwhile, is a Global Chinese Commerce Conference in Seoul scheduled for 2005, which is expected to draw more than 5,000 overseas Chinese participants from 130 countries. China's influence on the lives of Koreans through human and material exchange is exceeding that which was experienced during fifty years of U.S.-South Korea relations. This rapid movement closer to China means that the "Post-China Policy" which South Korea has employed since the aftermath of the Korean War is being quickly replaced by a "Go into the Continent Policy." South Korea is returning to the security order of Northeast Asia as it existed before the Sino-Japanese war of 1894 - a war in which both South Korea and China shared the same fate. The Chinese wind blowing through the Korean peninsula is emblematic of the historical change that is transforming Northeast Asia in the 21st Century. (April 21, 2003) |
 |