Over the past decade, the two countries have achieved significant progress in politics, the economy and culture.

The noteworthy achievements also serve as convincing testimony to their leadership's sagacious resolution in setting up diplomatic ties 10 years ago.

While both China and South Korea are holding numerous activities to celebrate this memorable event, there is every reason for people to expect better ties in the future.

Jin Xide, a researcher with the Institute of Japanese Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, whose research covers Northeast Asian affairs, said: "Geographical adjacency, cultural similarities, and the absence of deep historical rancour between the two neighbours have been a congenital advantage in bringing China-ROK bilateral relations increasingly closer."

Given their important position in each other's foreign strategy, the two countries have achieved a great breakthrough in their political relationship through their joint efforts.

"The ROK plays an important role in China's good-neighbourly and friendly diplomacy, and China also occupies a key position in the ROK's foreign relations," Jin said.

The two countries have conducted frequent high-level mutual visits, thus strengthening their mutual understanding and trust in politics.

The leaders of both countries decided to construct a co-operative partnership oriented towards the 21st century when ROK President Kim Dae-jung met his Chinese counterpart Jiang Zemin on a state visit to China in November 1998.

Both sides reached another consensus to push the bilateral co-operative partnership to a new stage when Premier Zhu Rongji paid an official visit to the ROK in October 2000.

Beijing and Seoul have also kept close contact on other occasions, and have reached extensive agreement on a series of international and regional issues.

China consistently supports President Kim's efforts to realize independent and peaceful reunification between the ROK and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

China has always warmly supported all measures conducive to the relaxation of tension between the South and North and actively contributed to this.

It is also Seoul's position that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of its territory.

Seoul has also stated on many occasions that it backs China's initiative for peaceful reunification and opposes Taiwan independence.

A favourable political environment between Beijing and Seoul has rapidly boosted bilateral economic and trade ties.

Jin said: "Undoubtedly, the swift and steady advancement of bilateral political relations between China and the ROK has laid a sound foundation for them to expand economic and trade exchanges."

Economic and trade activities between the two sides actually existed before diplomatic ties were established in 1992.

Since then, the two countries have signed a series of trade and investment accords, injecting new impetus into bilateral economic and trade exchanges..

According to statistics from China's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation, the value of bilateral trade reached US$35.91 billion in 2001, compared with the 1992 figure of US$5.03 billion. This represents an average annual growth rate of 24.4 per cent.

China's exports to the ROK last year totalled US$12.52 billion, up 10.9 per cent from the previous year. Its imports from the ROK were worth US$23.39 billion, up 0.8 per cent from the previous year.

China and the ROK are now each other's third-largest trading partner. The ROK's real investment in China puts it in fourth place, behind only the United States, Japan and Singapore.

Zhang Lili, a professor with the Foreign Affairs College in Beijing, said: "Motivated by political and economic factors, cultural exchanges and co-operation between the two countries have also been booming."

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, people-to-people exchanges between the two sides have become more active.

"Chinese culture is becoming more and more popular throughout the ROK and a wave of enthusiasm for the Chinese language has rapidly surged among its young people," said Zhang.

The latest statistics show that the number of ROK students in China has already overtaken that of Japanese students, making ROK students the largest group of foreign students studying in China, according to Zhang.

Undoubtedly, cultural exchanges between the two countries have provided a more convenient atmosphere for their political and economic co-operation.

It is predicted that the potential for China-ROK co-operation in various fields will be further tapped in the future.

Jin said: "There is no unsettled historical issue between the two neighbours, thus no uncertainty will obstruct the further development of their bilateral relations."

Economic globalization and China's World Trade Organization membership will provide greater room for the development of China-ROK ties.

China's WTO entry will gradually lower its import tariffs and do away with the need for import licences for a lot of commodities.

The ROK's geographical closeness to China's eastern coastal areas means that it will inevitably benefit a lot from its exports of competitive products to China, such as cars, petrochemical products, steel and mechanical equipment.

The ROK's successful experience of industrial structural adjustment, and China's advantages over natural resources and its cheap workforce constitute a complementary structure for the two countries' economic co-operation and development.

Both countries' efforts to promote East Asian economic co-operation have not only boosted their economic development but have also benefited economic prosperity in the region as a whole.

The establishment of China-ROK diplomatic relations was a great move in their fundamental interests.

Zhang said: "China-ROK friendly relations have also contributed a lot to peace and stability in Northeast Asia, as well as global prosperity and progress."

(China Daily August 19, 2002)