[COLUMN] Strategic approach in China policy

By Kim Hae-sun Posted : November 6, 2017, 16:40 Updated : November 6, 2017, 16:40

[Yonhap News Photo]



China is a close neighbor. It is a fateful relationship that should be kept for a lifetime unless we move to another area. We have too many strategies to expose and often show all the cards we have to use step-by-step in negotiations.

China is responsible for solving strained ties with South Korea. If we had held negotiations with China after understanding its role and position in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue on the occasion of President Donald Trump's trip to Asia, we should have gained many things.

Given changes in our policy every five years, it is necessary to operate a pool of experts who know China well and can propose a long-term strategy in each sector.

We are in the position to implement our 'promise' that there would be no participation in the U.S. missile defense (MD) system, no additional THAAD deployment and no trilateral alliance involving Seoul, Tokyo and Washington.

President Trump said he would discuss military options against North Korea during his Asia trip this week. In Washington, there is a confrontation between hard-liners calling for military options and moderates who favor a diplomatic solution. However, there is no strategist who can bring about balanced diplomacy between Beijing and Washington.

Politics and economy are always intertwined in China. If the political confrontation between Seoul and Beijing rages again, Korean companies doing business in China will be an obvious victim as seen in the THAAD row.

Without a strategic approach, w should give up the idea of capturing Chinese minds just with tactics. For this reason, we have to demonstrate mature diplomacy to China, our fateful neighbor, by mobilizing a pool of experts who have studied China for a long time in each field.


 
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