The People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) established diplomatic relations on 24 August 1992. Before the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and South Korea, which were in opposing camps during the Cold War, only had informal relations. In 1983, the two countries' officials first came into contact due to the hijacking of CAAC Flight 296. After that, economic, trade and cultural exchanges between the two countries began to increase, and two sides sent delegations to participate in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 1990 Beijing Asian Games. On 17 September 1991, both North Korea and South Korea joined the United Nations. In 1992, China, which was pursuing reform and opening up, and South Korea, which was pursuing Nordpolitik, formally established diplomatic relations after several rounds of negotiations. This establishment of diplomatic relations marked the collapse of the Cold War system in Northeast Asia and had important significance in the history of international relations.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, exchanges between the two countries in various fields, including politics, economy, and culture, have developed rapidly, complementing each other's strengths, and their cooperative relationship has undergone several upgrades. While developing friendly relations with South Korea, China also continues to maintain its traditional friendship with North Korea. Before establishing diplomatic relations with the PRC, South Korea had long maintained diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan). Due to China's "Three Principles on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations", South Korea severed ties with Taiwan, and relations between the two sides deteriorated for a time. However, after negotiations, economic, trade, and cultural relations between South Korea and Taiwan returned to normal, with each side establishing a mission in Taipei for South Korea and a mission in Seoul for Taiwan.
Background
After the end of World War II, the Korean Peninsula was divided into the communist Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the north and the capitalist Republic of Korea (ROK) in the south. The People's Republic of China (PRC) and South Korea, which were in opposing camps during the Cold War, were in a state of hostility and did not recognize each other. In addition to direct confrontation in the Korean War, the two countries also had several maritime conflicts in the Yellow Sea. The ROK maintained diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (ROC), which had retreated to Taiwan, shortly after its founding. The ROC maintained close relations with South Korea and supported it during the Korean War. The two sides set up embassies in Taipei and Seoul and held several high-level visits. Meanwhile, the PRC recognized DPRK as the only legitimate government of Korea.
In the 1970s, with the easing of the international Cold War situation, the PRC established diplomatic relations with Japan (September 1972) and the United States (January 1979), while the situation on the Korean Peninsula also eased. On 23 June 1973, South Korean President Park Chung Hee issued the "June 23 Declaration", stating that South Korea was willing to implement an open door policy with all socialist countries, including the Soviet Union and China, on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. China started the reform and opening up in 1978 and made significant adjustments to its diplomatic strategy and policies. In March 1988, China opened up the Shandong Peninsula and the Liaodong Peninsula, making Shandong a window for direct trade with South Korea and attracting South Korean investment, and granting Shandong the power to issue entry visas to South Korean businessmen.
On 25 February 1988, newly-elected South Korean President Roh Tae-woo stated in his inaugural address that while further strengthening relations with Western countries, South Korea would also develop relations with Third World countries, "expand channels for international cooperation with continental countries with which South Korea has no exchanges," and "promote a vibrant Nordpolitik."
Initial contacts On 5 May 1983, CAAC Flight 296 was hijacked and landed in Chuncheon, South Korea. The two countries’ officials began initial contact to deal with the hijacking incident. The administration of President Chun Doo-hwan withstood the pressure from the Taiwanese government and provided assistance to China in the hijacking incident. The two sides used the names of "People’s Republic of China" and "Republic of Korea" for the first time in the memorandum of this negotiation. After that, the exchanges between the two countries in various fields such as economy, culture, and sports became increasingly frequent. Despite the lack of diplomatic relations between the two countries, China sent large sports delegations to participate in the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Summer Olympics hosted by South Korea. After the 1988 Olympics, bilateral economic exchanges between the two countries rapidly heated up.
In March 1988, President Roh Tae-woo entrusted his close friend and health care doctor, Han Shenghao, an overseas Chinese from Shandong, China, to explore the path to China and establish contact channels with the Shandong provincial government. On 16 April 1988, Han and two others arrived in Jinan, Shandong as Roh's secret envoys and held talks with Jiang Chunyun, the governor of Shandong. The two sides reached a consensus on developing economic and trade and cultural exchanges and agreed to send inspection teams to visit each other. On 16 June 1988, a 15-member South Korean delegation led by Daewoo Group chairman Kim Woo-choong arrived in Jinan; this was the first South Korean delegation to visit China. Han Shenghao was the advisor of the delegation. On 25 August, a 10-member delegation from Shandong visited Seoul. The head of the delegation was Li Yu, chairman of the Shandong Chamber of Commerce of the China Chamber of International Commerce; this was the first delegation from the PRC to visit South Korea.
In 1990, a delegation of more than 700 South Korean athletes participated in the 11th Asian Games in Beijing. The Roh Tae-woo administration regarded the Asian Games as an "important opportunity" to develop China–South Korea relations. South Korea provided 20% of the funding for the Asian Games, and South Korean companies paid more than US$15 million in advertising fees. Hyundai Motor Group donated hundreds of Hyundai cars to the Beijing Asian Games Organizing Committee, marking its first step in starting a business in Beijing. During the Asian Games, about 4,000 South Korean tourists visited China. The PRC used the official English name of South Korea, the "Republic of Korea", in award ceremonies and formal occasions, and the signs held by the guides for the South Korean delegation during the opening ceremony of the Asian Games also read "Korea".
In January 1991, South Korea established the Korea Trade Promotion Agency Representative Office in Beijing. In April 1991, the PRC established the China Chamber of International Commerce Representative Office in Seoul. In April 1991, Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Liu Huaqiu led a delegation of the PRC to Seoul to attend the 47th Annual Meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and held the first meeting between senior diplomatic officials of the two countries with the Chairman of the Conference, Lee Sang-ock, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea. On 17 September 1991, the two Koreas jointly joined the United Nations, creating conditions for the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Diplomatic negotiations
Roh Tae-woo meets with Qian Qichen
On 12 November 1991, Qian Qichen, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, and Li Lanqing, the Minister of Foreign Trade, led a delegation of China to attend the Third Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministerial Meeting held in Seoul; this was the first visit to South Korea by a senior government official of the PRC. The South Korean side attached great importance to the visit of Qian Qichen and his delegation. Lee Si-young, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea, came to the airport to greet them and "shaked hands warmly" with Qian Qichen and Li Lanqing. Qian was surrounded by reporters at the Hotel Shilla where he was staying. "The reporters were not most concerned about China’s participation in APEC, but whether there would be any changes in the relationship between China and South Korea".
The participation of the Chinese delegation in this APEC Ministerial Meeting was the result of six rounds of negotiations over nine months. The focus of the dispute was the status of the representatives from Taiwan and Hong Kong attending the meeting. The PRC emphasized that, under the premise of one China, the People’s Republic of China would participate in the meeting as a sovereign state, while Taiwan and Hong Kong would participate as regional economies. However, the Taiwanese government emphasized that it should enjoy "equal status" in APEC, did not accept the title "Taiwan, China", and did not agree to the arrangement that its foreign minister could not attend the meeting. South Korean Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Si-young and Chairman of the APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting, had to travel back and forth between the three places for shuttle diplomacy. In the end, the Taiwanese government had to make concessions under the consideration of practical interests and attend APEC as an economic entity called "Chinese Taipei".
On the afternoon of 12 November, South Korean President Roh Tae-woo met with the ministers of various countries who were present. After the group meeting, South Korean Foreign Minister Lee Sang-ock led Qian Qichen and his delegation into another living room for a private meeting with Roh Tae-woo. Roh and Qian talked for 40 minutes and he proposed to "establish diplomatic relations as soon as possible". Qian put forward three hopes: he hoped that both sides would work together to make the trade relations between the two countries develop better; he hoped that the two Koreas would live in peace and strengthen exchanges; and he hoped that the United States and Japan would improve relations with North Korea. The next day, Qian Qichen and Lee Sang-ock held the first breakfast meeting between the two foreign ministers. Qian's trip to Seoul paved the way for the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea.
Diplomatic negotiations In February 1992, following Deng Xiaoping's southern tour, China accelerated the pace of the reform and opening up. At the same time, the prime ministers of North and South Korea held the sixth inter-Korean high-level talks in Pyongyang, and the two sides exchanged the texts of the Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-Aggression and Cooperation between the North and South and the Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, which officially came into effect.