Seoul needs to pursue diplomatic balance

Editorial: South Korea paid much attention to Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington just as other countries did since Sino-U.S. ties are a key factor in ensuring peace, stability and prosperity in East Asia as well as across the globe.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (L) meets with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington, the United States, Feb. 14, 2012. (Photo: Xinhua)

Xi won an extraordinary welcome from U.S. leaders this week. He deserved it not only because of his status as China’s next leader but also because of his country’s rapid ascendance to the world’s No. 2 economic power. His visit was aimed at deepening ties with America before he succeeds President Hu Jintao as Communist Party leader late this year and becomes president in 2013.

Xi and U.S. leaders reaffirmed their commitment to forging a better bilateral relationship, despite differences over many issues such as human rights, trade imbalances and the Syrian problem. President Barack Obama told Xi on Tuesday that strong cooperation between the two countries is good for the rest of the world, welcoming Beijing’s rise. But he did not miss the chance to say that China should play by the same trade rules as other major global powers, urging the Asian giant to improve its human rights record.

On the other hand, Xi responded that the United States must respect the interests and concerns of China, while positively assessing Washington’s policy of playing a bigger role in the Asia-Pacific region.

Better ties between the two countries will certainly depend on how to step up collaboration while making joint efforts to overcome differences. In fact, the U.S. and China are economic and trade partners. Simultaneously, they are rivals on military and security issues. It is contradictory for the two to strengthen cooperation and check each other at the same time.

China is likely to surpass the U.S. economically and militarily within the first half of this century. With the anticipated decline of America, China could dominate the world. China has stressed a peaceful rise, while America has yet to abandon its role as the world’s sole superpower. But, the two should not clash with each other for regional and global hegemony.

It is worth noting that Xi and Obama stressed the importance of a close coordination on hotspots, including the developments on the Korean Peninsula and the Iranian nuclear issue. We hope that the two powers work together more closely to prod North Korea to take the path of denuclearization.

China needs to play a more responsible role to help settle peace on the peninsula. It should no longer cozy up to the Pyongyang regime that refuses to give up its nuclear ambitions. China also should be careful not to create a new Cold War in a possible confrontation with neighboring countries in Asia and the U.S. Seoul is required to seek balanced diplomacy to maintain its alliance with Washington and forge a strategic partnership with Beijing. <Korea Times>

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