ed Seoul-Beijing Defense ties

China should do more for regional stability

South Korean and Chinese defense ministers have agreed to strengthen military cooperation between the two countries. Wrapping up their meeting in Beijing on Friday, they issued a joint statement pledging to boost bilateral defense ties to deepen their strategic partnership.

The results of the defense talks, however, failed to meet South Koreas’ expectations that China will hold North Korea responsible for its two attacks against the South last year. Disappointingly, Beijing is still siding with Pyongyang by refusing to acknowledge evidence that the North sank the South’s warship Cheonan and shelled Yeonpyeong Island in the West Sea, killing 46 sailors, two Marines and two civilians.

For peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, it is imperative to prevent a recurrence of the North’s actions. South Korea and its allies have repeatedly called on China to play a crucial role in blocking the North from attacking the South. However, Beijing has made no change in its policy toward the world’s last Stalinist state, protecting its long-time ally from punishment for saber-rattling.

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and his Chinese counterpart Liang Guanglie adopted the joint statement by omitting words such as “provocative act” or “North Korea.” The watered-down statement said, “We declare our opposition to any act that hampers peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.” Of course, the Chinese side had to consider its strong relations with Pyongyang.

Overall, the Kim-Liang meeting was largely symbolic. But this does not necessarily mean that there was no substantive progress. The two ministers have agreed to launch an annual Korea-China strategic dialogue to promote mutual understanding and trust. The first vice ministerial-level dialogue is to be held in Seoul in late July.

The ministers have also committed to revive a military education exchange program that was suspended in 2005, starting next year. They have pledged to step up military collaboration in international peacekeeping operations and crackdowns on pirates, while jointly coping with nonmilitary threats such as earthquakes and other natural disasters.

It is important to sincerely implement the agreements in order to make tangible progress in cementing the Sino-South Korean military and defense relationship. Then, the two nations can move toward a real strategic partnership in the 21st century. What’s at stake is how to get rid of obstacles to better ties.

One of the obstacles is North Korea. China has adopted an equidistance policy toward both Koreas to exercise more influence and maximize its national interests on the peninsula. A more assertive China may do more harm than good to South Korea and its traditional ally the United States. South Korea might be caught up between the G2 states when they have conflicting interests in the region.

During a meeting with Kim on Thursday, Chen Bingde, head of the General Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, spent 15 minutes criticizing Washington for meddling in other countries’ affairs. He apparently expressed his displeasure with a recent visit by Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, over America’s joint military exercise with the Philippines and Vietnam in the South China Sea.

Chen’s criticism ran counter to diplomatic decorum. He should have refrained from censoring the South Korean ally in front of Kim. It could be easily dismissed but who knows if his tirade was an expression of China’s pursuit of hegemony in the region. Seoul still has a long way to go before realizing a true strategic partnership with Beijing.