Is Seoul ready to make a choice when necessary?
The Korean Peninsula has been labeled as the last vestige of the Cold War era. Now, however, the whole world seems to be going back to the mid-20th century, as seen by recent developments in Europe and East Asia.
Nothing shows this better than the ongoing China-Russia joint naval drill in the East China Sea as a counter to similar maneuvers by the U.S. and Japan. It may be far too hasty but Koreans can't help shuddering to think what happened when the big four clashed on their land the last time.
The drill's ripple effect is already being felt. The defense ministry said it has formally protested the Russo-Chinese drill intruded into Korea's air defense identification zone, or KADIZ, through a diplomatic channel, while stepping up its surveillance and reconnaissance activities in the area. Beijing did not even bother to give Seoul any prior notice, it added.
If so, the government's response should have been stronger and more immediate.
"China's drill is an act aimed at the U.S. and Japan, thus there is no need to build tension between Korea and China," a ministry official was quoted as saying on condition of anonymity.
He may be right. Moreover, it was not certain whether any Chinese or Russian aircraft or ships actually crossed into KADIZ. At issue, however, is until when should Korea endure China's heavy-handed treatment of its neighbors?
While Korea is stricken with grief because of the ferry disaster, Chinese fishing vessels are freely operating in Korean waters. Is it what Beijing says is the great power's manners that capitalizes on or at least ignores a neighbors' misfortune?
The foreign ministry should take issue with the illegal fishing as well as the intrusion of the KADIZ when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits here next week to discuss the preparations for a summit between Presidents Park Geun-hye and Xi Jinping in Seoul next month.
China is of course Korea's largest trade partner and Beijing is the host of the long-suspended six-party talks to denuclearize North Korea. The Middle Kingdom's economy has already surpassed America's, prompting hasty analysts to forecast the shift of global hegemony. Seoul ought to maintain its traditional alliance with Washington while enhancing cooperation with Beijing.
But that does not mean Seoul should watch others' faces before expressing its views. Modesty and hesitancy have no place in the world of diplomacy in which national interest is supreme.
It would be best for East Asia ― and the world ― if Washington and Beijing seek cooperation and even co-prosperity instead of competition and confrontation. As global villagers are witnessing, however, the rivalry between the G2 ― possibly in even military areas ― will likely intensify before it eases.
A middle power in between like Korea can take neither side. If Seoul is forced to maintain neutrality, it should try to be a positive arbitrator instead of a passive onlooker. And it should start with taking the initiative in solving our own problems, such as denuclearizing North Korea and eventual unification.
This is time for neither partisan brawls nor even inter-Korean rivalry but one for agonizing to ensure peace and prosperity of the whole peninsula.
The Korean Peninsula has been labeled as the last vestige of the Cold War era. Now, however, the whole world seems to be going back to the mid-20th century, as seen by recent developments in Europe and East Asia.
Nothing shows this better than the ongoing China-Russia joint naval drill in the East China Sea as a counter to similar maneuvers by the U.S. and Japan. It may be far too hasty but Koreans can't help shuddering to think what happened when the big four clashed on their land the last time.
The drill's ripple effect is already being felt. The defense ministry said it has formally protested the Russo-Chinese drill intruded into Korea's air defense identification zone, or KADIZ, through a diplomatic channel, while stepping up its surveillance and reconnaissance activities in the area. Beijing did not even bother to give Seoul any prior notice, it added.
If so, the government's response should have been stronger and more immediate.
"China's drill is an act aimed at the U.S. and Japan, thus there is no need to build tension between Korea and China," a ministry official was quoted as saying on condition of anonymity.
He may be right. Moreover, it was not certain whether any Chinese or Russian aircraft or ships actually crossed into KADIZ. At issue, however, is until when should Korea endure China's heavy-handed treatment of its neighbors?
While Korea is stricken with grief because of the ferry disaster, Chinese fishing vessels are freely operating in Korean waters. Is it what Beijing says is the great power's manners that capitalizes on or at least ignores a neighbors' misfortune?
The foreign ministry should take issue with the illegal fishing as well as the intrusion of the KADIZ when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits here next week to discuss the preparations for a summit between Presidents Park Geun-hye and Xi Jinping in Seoul next month.
China is of course Korea's largest trade partner and Beijing is the host of the long-suspended six-party talks to denuclearize North Korea. The Middle Kingdom's economy has already surpassed America's, prompting hasty analysts to forecast the shift of global hegemony. Seoul ought to maintain its traditional alliance with Washington while enhancing cooperation with Beijing.
But that does not mean Seoul should watch others' faces before expressing its views. Modesty and hesitancy have no place in the world of diplomacy in which national interest is supreme.
It would be best for East Asia ― and the world ― if Washington and Beijing seek cooperation and even co-prosperity instead of competition and confrontation. As global villagers are witnessing, however, the rivalry between the G2 ― possibly in even military areas ― will likely intensify before it eases.
A middle power in between like Korea can take neither side. If Seoul is forced to maintain neutrality, it should try to be a positive arbitrator instead of a passive onlooker. And it should start with taking the initiative in solving our own problems, such as denuclearizing North Korea and eventual unification.
This is time for neither partisan brawls nor even inter-Korean rivalry but one for agonizing to ensure peace and prosperity of the whole peninsula.
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