Time to boost Korea’s relations with China

The government must raise its high-level exchanges with the Chinese government, including holding a Korea-China summit as soon as possible.

After North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new treaty on Wednesday in Pyongyang, the two countries’ relations have been restored to the level of 1996 or further to the level of 1961. The development was possible thanks to the revival of the “automatic military intervention at times of crisis” specified in the 1961 USSR-DPRK Alliance Treaty.

The preface of the new “comprehensive strategic partnership” signed by the two leaders includes the clause on automatic military engagement 63 years ago. The only difference is the clause on authorizing military support based on Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and domestic laws of North Korea and Russia. It deserves an international sneer, as the two countries still bent on dismissing UN sanctions borrowed an article from the UN charter.

Article 16 of the new treaty shows their brazen defiance of international sanctions. The stipulation of military cooperation will accelerate clandestine weapons trade between the two countries. Their agreement to use the ruble — not the greenback — in their trade and financial transactions is apparently aimed at bypassing sanctions.

The two leaders bragged about a “quantum jump” in their bilateral relations, but the international community regards it as a retreat of history. Concerns are deepening over the possibility of the two rogue states further consolidating military cooperation and endangering world peace.

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration vowed to sternly respond to any possible security threats together with the United States and other allies. The government must thoroughly analyze the treaty and come up with countermeasures to effectively deal with the growing threat. But first, Korea needs to draw China to its side to confront the new security challenge by exploiting Beijing’s concerns about its weakening leverage on Pyongyang and repercussions of a strengthened unity of the West.

South Korea must take advantage of China’s intention to distance itself from North Korea and Russia. Seoul can learn from Dr. Kissinger’s strategy of using China as an effective card in its battle against the Soviet Union by exploiting the ideological conflict between the Chinese and the Soviets.

The government must raise its high-level exchanges with the Chinese government, including holding a Korea-China summit as soon as possible. We urge the government to reactivate its negotiations to level up Korea’s FTA with China, as agreed to between President Yoon and Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Seoul last month. Expanding the common ground in economic fields will surely help boost the country’s security.