Jiang Zemin: ‘The first Chinese president to visit Korea’ Jiang Zemin’s current implications for Korea-China relations

Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who died on the 30th, was the first person among China’s top leaders to visit Korea.

The normalization of diplomatic relations between China and China took place under the influence of former leader Deng Xiaoping in 1992, but Jiang Zemin, who became president in 1993 the following year, expanded exchanges and cooperation between the two countries through a total of 10 summits. diplomacy with South Korea.

In November 1993, former President Chang and former President Kim Young-sam held their first Korea-China summit on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Seattle, USA. Later, in November 1995, he visited Korea for the first time as a Chinese president and met with former President Kim.

During his visit to Korea at the time, President Jeon Jang gave a speech in the National Assembly of Korea for the first time as head of a socialist state, dramatically demonstrating the trend of the post-Cold War era.

Since then, he has had a total of 6 meetings with former President Kim Young-sam and a total of 4 meetings with former President Kim Dae-jung, who took office.

Jiang Zemin inherited the reform and openness of Deng Xiaoping after taking office, and is evaluated as laying the foundation for today’s China to rise to the status of the G2, comparable to the United States, based on its mighty economic power .

Chinese experts say that at the time Jiang Zemin took office as the country’s president, various conditions were being formed for China to begin the process of becoming a formal member of the international community through reform and opening up.

Kang Joon-yeong, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies’ School of International Studies and Graduate Area, said, “Jiang Zemin was working as a city clerk in Shanghai and was appointed to the bureau after Zhao Ziyang (a third-generation Chinese politician) was . was overthrown in the Tiananmen Square incident.” Because I accepted the trend for ”, I was chosen by elders like Deng Xiaoping.”

Professor Kang said that when Jiang Zemin came to power as president, “he happened to meet the national fortune of a time when China was able to properly open the banner of reform and open as the world’s factory.” He referred to the rise of the WTO as the environment.

Experts also say that China’s reform and opening policies, both internal and external, are behind the active promotion of the Korea-China summit diplomacy and economic cooperation during the Jiang Zemin administration.

Professor Ha Do-hyung of the National Defense University said, “Jiang Zemin strengthened reform and opening policies, such as allowing private entrepreneurs to join the Communist Party.” Joining China, which had previously been a bystander or outsider in the international order, laid the groundwork for China to act as a full participant in various aspects of the international order and the international economy and trade.”

Professor Ha also referred to one of Jiang Zemin’s political achievements as the beginning of China’s great power politics by talking about China’s role as a “responsible great country” when Jiang Zemin was in power.

In 1997, when Korea went through a national bankruptcy crisis and asked for help from the IMF, not only Korea but also other Asian countries suffered economic difficulties such as falling exchange rates. At the time, China could have devalued the renminbi, but Jiang Zemin did not do that and spoke of a “responsible great country”, Professor Ha explained, starting to establish China’s position in the international community.

Professor Ha said, “In that process, China even joined the WTO and became a normal actor or participant in the international economy and trade.” And Korea-China relations could also be developed.”

When Jiang Zemin was in power, China advocated multipolar diplomacy, saying that China could also become a pole, contrary to the ‘unipolar system’ of the United States at the time. In this process, China emphasized cooperation with different countries, and Korea-China relations were able to gain momentum.

Experts say that even at the time, China had ideological differences with countries following a liberal order, such as the United States and South Korea.

However, instead of focusing on such a difference in position, they say they have expanded their cooperative relationship in the direction of expanding exchange and cooperation. In particular, experts say that such cooperation is more necessary today when interdependence between countries, such as the global supply chain, has deepened.

Professor Ha said, “The biggest difference between the Cold War of the past and the New Cold War is that under the New Cold War, each faction is not completely separated from each other as in the past.” “The United States cannot take measures such as imposing a full-scale blockade or trade sanctions on China in the context of active economic exchanges,” he explained.

Professor Ha said that in the midst of intense competition between the United States and China, the United States and South Korea, as an ally, need to take a more “delicate” approach to their relationship with China. It needs to be expanded.”

Meanwhile, Edgard Kagan, senior director for East Asia and Oceania at the White House’s National Security Council (NSC), recently said that South Korea’s relations with the United States and China are not a “zero-sum game” where one win and lose. the other.

“The United States believes that a strong and modern US-ROK alliance that addresses more current issues, including technological cooperation and regional and international economic cooperation, and a productive ROK-China relationship is compatible, ” Kagan said in a keynote speech at a panel discussion held by the Woodrow Wilson Center on the 29th. “I believe that Korea’s greater role in the world and regionally and being very clear about Korea’s position makes it easier to have a stronger and more productive relationship with China,” he added.