Park's visit reflects rising mutual trust

Republic of Korea President Park Geun-hye will visit China from Sept 2 to 4 to attend the commemorative activities to be held in Beijing on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-45). Her itinerary will also take her to Shanghai for the re-opening of the Office of the Provisional Government of Korea, which was established by some Korean exiles in 1919, nine years after Japan annexed the Korean Peninsula.

Park has confirmed her attendance at the military parade in Beijing on Sept 3, a key event of the commemoration.

Overcoming all hindrances, Park has chosen to pay tribute in person to people who took part in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Her decision to be present on a such special occasion shows China and the ROK are eager to take their comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level, inject new vitality into their overall ties and deepen political mutual trust.

On the one hand, Park's visit will further strengthen Beijing-Seoul economic cooperation - China is already the ROK's largest trade partner and overseas investment destination. On the other hand, her visit will help deepen military communication and coordination between the two countries, which is particularly important given the tensions between the ROK and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Thankfully, military officials from both sides concluded their second round of emergency talks at the border village of Panmunjom on a positive note on Tuesday, easing the situation which had flared up following cross-border firing on Aug 20.

The situation had taken a turn for the worse when DPRK leader Kim Jong-un ordered his frontline combat forces to enter a state of war from 5 pm on Aug 21. But on Wednesday, the ROK officials said the DPRK was slowly easing its battle-ready posture after the two sides reached a deal that helped avoid an armed clash.

Since Pyongyang is reported to have started the cross-border skirmish less than 24 hours after Seoul announced Park's visit to Beijing, many might surmise its move was meant to remind the international community of its role in the Korean Peninsula issue and global security. But the truth is, Pyongyang's military preparation is a direct outcome of the tense situation on the peninsula.

On Aug 4, two ROK soldiers on patrol were injured after stepping on landmines, which the ROK alleged had been planted by DPRK soldiers. Six days later, the ROK military resumed its propaganda broadcasts at the border through loudspeakers, which had been silent for 11 years. This prompted the DPRK to issue a 48-hour ultimatum to Seoul to stop the broadcasts. In response, the ROK and the US raised their joint reconnaissance to the second-highest level on Aug 22.

As a neighbor of both the DPRK and ROK and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has been closely watching the developments on the peninsula and urging the two sides to not aggravate the situation. China's stance on the peninsula issue is clear: nuclearization and military provocations have to stop and all inter-Korean matters should be resolved through dialogue.

But Beijing will continue its normal relationship with Pyongyang and intensify two-way communication to help resume the long-stalled Six-Party Talks in order to find a permanent solution to the Korean Peninsula issue.

The author is an associate researcher at the Center for Northeast Asian Studies, a research institute in Jilin province.

(China Daily 08/29/2015 page5)