The People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) formally established formal diplomatic relations in August 1992. South Korea was the last Asian country to establish relations with the People's Republic of China. In recent years, China and South Korea have endeavored to boost their strategic and cooperative partnership in numerous sectors, as well as promoting a high-level relationship. Trade, tourism and multiculturalism, specifically, have been the most important factors of strengthening the two neighbouring countries' cooperative partnership. Despite this, historical, political and cultural disputes have still played several roles on the relations between South Korea and China, especially with China being politically aligned with North Korea.
Both nations have had close ties that reach back thousands of years, which were especially cooperative during the Song and Ming dynasty, which cooperated with Goryeo and the Joseon dynasty respectively. The Ming and Joseon emerged after the invasion of the Mongols and shared close Confucian ideals in its society. Furthermore, the Ming had assisted Joseon during Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea, in which the Wanli Emperor sent a total of 221,500 troops. "Thus the Korea–Japan War of 1592–1598 came to a conclusion, with the Japanese totally defeated and in full-scale retreat. The Korean victory did not come easily." Joseon had also used Classical Chinese as a common script alongside Korean, and its central government was modelled after the Chinese system.
During the Cold War, China and South Korea were in opposing sides, with China supporting North Korea during the Korean War. Unofficial contacts between the two countries started in the 1970s and 1980s, both during the Sino-Soviet split, and official relations were established in 1992. Contemporary relations between China and South Korea are characterized by extensive trading and economic relations. China is by far South Korea's largest trading partner, with China importing goods worth $168 billion from South Korea in 2024, which comprised 25% of South Korea's total exports. 23% of South Korea's imports also came from China, worth $139 billion in 2024. In 2015, China and South Korea signed the bilateral China–South Korea Free Trade Agreement. In November 2020, China and South Korea, along with 13 other Asia-Pacific nations, signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
Relations deteriorated considerably after South Korea announced its intentions to deploy THAAD, a move that China strongly opposed. China imposed an unofficial boycott on South Korea in an attempt to stop them from deploying the missile system. The campaign resulted in a significant souring of public opinion towards China in South Korea. However, at the end of October 2017, the two countries ended the 1-year-long diplomatic dispute and have been working swiftly to get their relationship back on track since, strengthening exchanges and cooperation between each other, creating harmony of interests, and agreeing to resume exchanges and cooperation in all areas. All economic and cultural bans from China towards South Korea were also lifted partially as a result, with political and security cooperation, businesses and cultural exchanges between the two countries getting back to a healthy state. Upon the relationship's resumption, China and South Korea have been organizing presidential and governmental visits, working together on the Korean Peninsula, assisting with the development of other countries, and cooperating in numerous areas.
Description In 1983, relations between China and South Korea were normalized, deepening economic and political ties. Since then, China and South Korea had upgraded their relationship in five phases: In 1983, it was a “friendly cooperative relationship”; in 1998, it was called a “collaborative partnership for the 21st century”; in 2003, it was described as a “comprehensive cooperative partnership”; in 2008, it was considered a “strategic cooperative partnership”; and in 2014 it was called an “enriched strategic cooperative partnership”.
Since 2004, China has been the main trade partner of Korea and is considered a key player for the improvement of inter-Korean relationships. South Korea is perceived by China as the weakest link in the US alliance network in Northeast Asia. North Korea's nuclear issue and U.S. military support to South Korea have been the main threats to bilateral ties in recent years.
During the presidency of Park Geun-Hye, a “balanced diplomacy” was restored, which President Moon Jae-in has also followed. In recent years South Korea has avoided supporting the United States statements against China to avoid conflict.
History of relations
Background Diplomatic relations between the Qing dynasty and the Korean Empire were established on September 11, 1899, but relations were halted in 1905 as a result of the Eulsa Treaty that made Korea a Japanese protectorate and which was then annexed by the Empire of Japan in 1910.
Later, the Republic of China government recognized the formation of the exiled Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (KPG) on April 13, 1919, as one of the participants of the Cairo Conference, which resulted in the Cairo Declaration. One of the main purposes of the Cairo Declaration was to create an independent Korea, free from Japanese colonial rule.
The Provisional Government itself was proclaimed in Shanghai in 1919 and the KPG moved throughout Chinese cities such as Hangzhou and Chongqing during the Second Sino-Japanese War to evade Japanese persecution. The South Korean government will later acknowledge China's role (even under the shared anti-Japanese struggle that later identified with the communist PRC; to which it played no considerable part) in facilitating the KPG. Numerous KPG memorial halls across China were restored and preserved as a cooperative effort between South Korea and the PRC to honor their shared history.
Bilateral diplomatic relations between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Republic of China (based in Taiwan) were re-established in 1948, just after the foundation of the First Republic, hence making Nationalist China the first country to recognize the Republic of Korea as the sole legitimate government of Korea. During the Cold War, the People's Republic of China recognized only the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) while South Korea in turn recognized only the Republic of China (Taiwan).
Korean War
The newly established People's Republic of China participated in the Korean War between 1950 and 1953, sending the People's Volunteer Army to fight alongside the Soviet Union against the United States and United Nations troops in October 1950. It successfully drove the invading UN forces out of North Korea, but its own invasion of the South itself was repelled. The participation of the PVA strained relations between South Korea and China. The Korean War concluded in July 1953, resulting in the establishment of the Korean Demilitarized Zone, and the eventual withdrawal of Chinese forces from the Korean Peninsula. However, US troops have still remained in South Korea to this day.
Cold War Throughout the Cold War, there were no official relations between the PRC and ROK. The PRC maintained close relations with North Korea, and South Korea maintained diplomatic relations with the Republic of China in Taiwan. This hindered trade between Seoul and Beijing, because South Korea was unable to protect its citizens and business interests in China without some form of international agreements. Beijing's economic needs involving South Korea were initially eclipsed by those of Moscow.
Relations under Park and Chun (1961–1983) In 1973, President Park Chung Hee announced his "Peaceful Reunification Foreign Policy" and expressed interest in establishing diplomatic relations with communist countries, including the People's Republic of China. Park initiated and President Chun Doo-hwan advanced a policy of establishing relations with China and the Soviet Union, and attempting to improve those with North Korea. China and the USSR had significant sway in determining the future of the Korean Peninsula. Good relations with old allies of North Korea were therefore integral to the Nordpolitik policy.
Seoul's official contact with Beijing started by the landing of a hijacked CAAC Flight 296 in May 1983. China sent a delegation of thirty-three officials to Seoul to negotiate its return. This marked the beginning of a series of casual exchanges of citizens. For example, in March 1984, a South Korean tennis team visited Kunming for a Davis Cup match with a Chinese team. In April 1984, a thirty-four-member Chinese basketball team arrived in Seoul to participate in the Eighth Asian Junior Basketball Championships. Some Chinese officials reportedly paid quiet visits to South Korea to inspect its industries, while South Korean officials visited China to attend a range of international conferences.
In the 1980s, economic and unofficial ties between the two countries were extensive.
Late 1980s into the 1990s Other international relations changes in the late 1980s and early 1990s helped improve relations between China and South Korea. Following diplomatic normalization between South Korea and the Soviet Union, China's own improving relations with Moscow, and the simultaneous admission of North Korea and South Korea to the United Nations in 1991, China became less concerned with North Korea's reaction to China's improving ties with South Korea.
South Korea had been an ally of the Republic of China. On 24 August 1992, formal diplomatic relations were established between South Korea and the PRC. South Korea stated that the PRC was "the sole legal government of China". A peace treaty was also signed at the ceremony declaring an official end of hostilities between South Korea and China as a result of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement. On September 3, 1994, China withdrew from the Military Armistice Commission at Panmunjom, which left only North Korea and the United Nations Command as the only participants in the Korean Armistice Agreement. South Korea never signed the agreement.
21st century
Furthermore, China has attempted to mediate between North Korea and the US; between North Korea and Japan; and also initiated and promoted tripartite talks—between Pyongyang, Seoul, and Washington.
On 29 November 2010, a United States diplomatic cables leak mentioned two unknown Chinese officials telling then Vice-Foreign Minister Chun Yung-woo that the PRC would favor a Korea reunified under the South's government, as long as it was not hostile to China.
It was announced on 10 January 2011 that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) established two teams of China experts and language specialists under its department handling Chinese affairs in an effort to strengthen diplomacy. An analytical team will report on political, economic and foreign affairs developments in China, and a monitoring team consisting of seven language specialists will report on public sentiment in China. The Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS), a think-tank affiliated to MOFAT, also launched a centre dedicated to China affairs, which will act as a hub to collate research on China undertaken in Korea.
The Park-Xi summit in 2013 showed promise of warming relations, but this quickly chilled after China extended their Air Defense Identification Zone (East China Sea) over South Korean territory. Despite this, in July 2014, Xi visited South Korea before its traditional ally North Korea, and in their talks, both leaders affirmed their support for a nuclear-free Korean peninsula and the ongoing free trade agreement negotiations. Both leaders also expressed their concerns over Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe's reinterpretation of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution.