Trade between Bohai of China and Korea: An international perspective

This article investigates the current state and future prospects of trade between South Korea and China, with a focus on China's Bohai region. First, it compares basic economic profiles, including trade patterns of China, Bohai, and Korea. Then, it explores trade prospects between these economies using the aid of the indices, such as export similarity and trade complementarity. The article also examines the trade creation and diversion effects of trade between Korea, China, and Bohai during the last decade, and, finally, presents alternative future trade projections. Editor's Note: The three articles in this section were originally prepared for and presented at an international conference on Regional Development in the Yellow Sea Rim, in February 1991, in Seoul, Korea. The conference was part of a two-year collaborative study on regional development in the Yellow Sea Rim, involving researchers from China, South Korea, the United States, and Japan. The study was organized by the East-West Population Institute of Hawaii and supported by many research institutions and government agencies in China and the Republic of Korea. In particular, the State Science and Technology Commission of China and the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements are acknowledged for their generous support.     

Direct foreign investment and the Yellow Sea Rim

The article investigates the possibility and problems of direct foreign investment (DFI) in the Yellow Sea Rim. After reviewing the global trends in DFI and major policy issues, the article discusses the perspectives of DFI in the region. It examines the markets for the products made by foreign subsidiaries and joint ventures as well as relocation of industries from South Korea and Japan. By reviewing Japanese experience in operating joint ventures and subsidiaries in China, the article discusses difficulty in managing subsidiaries in the centrally planned economy. A probable consequence of increased DFI will be an expansion of emigration of Chinese citizens to Korea and Japan.     

The Korean experience in FDI and Sino-Korean relations

The possibility of regional cooperation in the Yellow Sea Rim (YSR) area has been discussed since the early 1980s. In recent years, Korean outbound foreign direct investment (FDI) has increased rapidly and it will be growing much further. In the new phase of the global economy and the post-cold war political environment, Korean firms consider the socialist countries, especially China, to be attractive new partners for trade and investment projects. Foreign investment contributed to economic growth in developing countries. In the early stage of industrialization in the 1970s, the share of foreign firms amounted to about one-tenth of the total manufacturing employment in Korea. Similarly, outbound Korean FDI could also play an important role in the industrialization of the LDCs in Southeast Asia and China. A case study of a Korean multinational corporation reveals that the direct employment effect of Korea’s FDI is extensive in terms of money invested. In spite of the complementarity in economic structure and the phase of development between Korea and China, the prospect of Korea’s outbound FDI is not all clear. However, one can safely assume that the unit scale of FDI projects will increase. Unlike in the past, the large Korean corporations are now preparing more than a few fair-sized projects in China. The positive impact of those FDI will be significant. The YSR cooperation, if successful, could create efficient economic cooperation based on complementarity between Korea and China. The Korean outbound FDI would pave a road to such regional cooperation. This article is the revised version of a paper prepared for the International Conference on Regional Development in the Yellow Sea Rimlands, held February 18–21, 1991. The conference was cosponsored by the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, the State Science and Technology Commission of China, and the East-West Center of Honolulu, Hawaii.     

Yellow sea economic zone: Vision or reality?

This article provides a brief review of Sino-South Korean economic relations in the 1980s, and discusses domestic and international factors that are likely to influence economic relations between the two countries in the 1990s. Two possible scenarios are discussed for future Sino-South Korean economic relations: increasing trade and economic interaction within limited political relations; active economic cooperation across the Yellow Sea with normalized relations. Anticipating expanding economic ties between China and South Korea, the article discusses potential areas for cooperation such as trade and industrial relations, tourism and services, infrastructure development and transportation linkages, and institutional support.     

Trilateral trade relations among China,Japan and South Korea: Challenges and prospects of regional economic integration

China’s emergence as a global and regional manufacturing center has significant implications for the Northeast Asian economies of Japan and South Korea. China's trade with Japan and South Korea has been rapidly growing in relative importance, largely facilitated by China's rise as a regional production base as well as changes in the trade structures between China and her neighbours. Indeed, in recent years, China has been the main driving force behind Northeast Asian trade interdependency. The strong economic linkages and complementarities among China, Japan and South Korea augur well for the further integration among the three Northeast Asian countries. Establishing a trilateral free trade arrangement (FTA) provide new opportunities to enhance the three countries’ overall growth potential through trade and investment. However, such Northeast Asian regional integration is destined to be a long, drawn out process. The forging of a trilateral trading arrangement between China and her two neighbours remain a long term vision in view of the many outstanding issues and obstacles.     

China's Advances in the South China Sea: Strategies and Objectives

The sea lanes of the South China Sea are vital not only as a trade route but also for strategic security. It is self-evident that this should be so for the East Asian countries who lay claim to the area, but it is also true for those nations further afield who are affected by the activities there, such as Japan, Korea and the US. Based on his observations of the Chinese navy'sactivities in the South China Sea over the last ten years, Shigeo Hiramatsu, Professor of Social Sciences at Kyorin University, examines the history of the Chinese Navy within the context of East Asian security in the following article. He argues that in light of Chinese plans to increase the capability of its navy, a strong US-Japan relationship as well as a more active Japanese role in the region is essential to prevent a possible flare up of skirmishes around the South China Sea.     

Cooperation is What India Makes of It – A Normative Inquiry into the Origins and Development of Regional Cooperation in South Asia and the Indian Ocean

Successful multilateral economic, political or security cooperation as best exemplified by organizations such as the EU or ASEAN invites the question why comparable organizations have never been established in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Rim, two geo-strategically important world regions. This article foregoes political-realist arguments and offers an alternative explanation for the failure of regional multilateralism in those two regions by using the social-constructivist framework of norm localization. This framework, based upon third-generation norm diffusion, provides a new analytical toolbox for analysing the general puzzle why one region may accept a particular norm while rejecting another. Arguing the case for the existence of a special South Asian regional variation of multilateralism which is termed ‘Panchsheel-multilateralism’, the article examines the process of the localization of the global norm regional multilateralism and analyses how this norm became institutionalized in the form of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). The main argument of the article is that the global norm of regional multilateralism has been localized into a principally Indian influenced model of multilateralism, based on the latter’s cognitive prior. Consequently, there has virtually never been room for any genuine multilateral cooperation, while tangible cooperative results are found in the bilateral domain only.     

理解南海共同开发与航行自由问题的新思路——基于国际法视角看南海争端的解决路径

南海共同开发与航行自由问题的明确与解决,直接关系到中国的海洋权益以及南海的未来法律秩序。尽管泰国湾地区的共同开发经验能够为中国提供借鉴,但南海主海的情况与之有很大区别。共同开发方式在国际范围内接受程度不广泛,实际效果不理想,其对南海争端的可适用程度较低。因此,应对共同开发方式在南海争端解决中的作用予以重新定位。从长远的角度出发,共同开发不能成为解决南海争端的优先选择和主要方式,即便在短期内以共同开发方式为处理南海争端的权宜之计,也应当注重构建一个合理的共同开发机制。中国对南海的"历史性权利"并未被后来的有效国际法律规范所更改或取消,这一权利不能按照《联合国海洋法公约》的架构来解读,也并不存在妨碍南海航行自由的问题。相反,倒是其他南海周边国家滥用《联合国海洋法公约》规定所提出的意在分割、控制南海的种种主张更加妨碍南海的航行自由。比较之下,中国的主张更加符合南海水域本身的性质及其适用当代海洋法之后的应然状态。     

How the East Asian Crisis Will Change International Relations

We may expect regional response to the tension and conflict in Asia begun by China in 2009 gradually to transform the international order in that region, where the United States has been the active great power. Today the United States is so overextended in commitments and so lacking in force structure (and political will) that she can no longer play that role. Nor, however, has China succeeded in her initial assumption that regional powers would defer to her vastly increased military power. Unless China finds a way to extricate herself, we may expect regional powers, each strengthening herself, to grow closer together as a group in which Tokyo plays an unaccustomed central role, both in diplomacy and arms supply, although in coordination with the United States. North Korea is also highly dangerous. The likely outcome is greater military strength generally, with South Korea and Japan nuclear powers.     

The establishment of South Korean-Chinese diplomatic relations: A South Korean perspective

This article examines the process leading to establishment of the diplomatic relationship between South Korea and China in 1992. For that purpose, the article reviews first the Northern Policy of the Sixth Republic of Korea, whose major aim was to improve South Korea’s relations with the then socialist and communist countries, including the Soviet Union. Next the focus moves to the secret negotiations between South Korea and China. One of the major arguments of the article is that the expansion of commercial and trade relations between South Korea and China plus the end of the cold war contributed to the establishment of diplomatic relationships between the two neighbors.     

The political economy of economic regionalism in northeast asia: A unique and dynamic pattern

Since the mid-1980s there has been a gradual but steady rise of economic regionalism in Northeast Asia. However, the economic regionalism in Northeast Asia reveals its own dynamics and is presented in a form that is different from those in Western Europe and North America. Characterized by a “flying geese pattern” that has been developing in the region over time, the regionalism is soft and open; that is, it is uninstitutionalized and less discriminatory against other economies. This ongoing regionalism in Northeast Asia will inevitably bring profound political and economic implications for the region and beyond. Kevin G. Cai earned a Ph.D. in political science at Queen's University in Canada in 1996 Currently he is teaching at Kyonggi University in South Korea. His major research interests include the political economy of economic regionalism in the world economy, the regionalism in the Asia-Pacific area, APEC, China's integration into the regional and global economy, and various political, economic and security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. The author would like to thank Michael K. Hawes for his valuable comments on the early draft of this article.     

“东亚共同体”建设的障碍与出路:韩国的视角

本文认为推动韩中日三国的合作是实现"东亚共同体"目标的关键所在。原因不仅在于韩中日三国经济占整个东亚地区经济的比重较大、对世界的影响力极为重要,还在于韩中日三国间开展经济合作的难度较大。中国学者大多认为,由于历史问题、领土纷争、政治制度差异以及区域外美国势力的干预,韩中日三国间缺乏信任。而这一系列的因素正是阻碍东亚一体化建设进程的障碍。本文认为,欧洲整合的历史经验即新功能主义理论,值得东亚地区学习与借鉴。韩中日整合的示范作用,势必外溢到整个东亚地区,进而带动区域一体化进程,从而最终实现"东亚共同体"的目标。     

当前韩中文化外交存在的问题及对策

自韩中两国建交以来,韩中两国文化外交取得了巨大的成就。但是时至今日,韩中两国的文化外交也受到诸多制约因素的挑战,本文针对当前韩中文化外交存在的主要问题以及这些问题背后的深层根源进行了分析,并提出了具有针对性的建议,作者认为韩中两国应该从战略高度积极协调双方文化外交,并且要妥善处理历史认知问题和重新审视两国的大众传播媒体在塑造和服务于韩中文化外交过程中所扮演的角色,同时韩国政府要积极改善韩中两国文化产品输入不对等的问题。两国政府和民间要进一步拓宽两国民间外交的渠道和方式,进而全面提升韩中文化外交全面向前发展。     

大国博弈与南海局势的发展——2019“南海论坛”综述

当前国际形势正面临"百年未有之大变局",南海局势的管控、稳定和发展也存在诸多挑战和变数,需要持续深入的研究和探讨。在南京大学中国南海研究协同创新中心主办、南京大学华智全球治理研究院协办的2019"南海论坛"上,与会专家围绕"2018-2019年南海局势评估""南海海洋权益法律风险盘点与评估""大国博弈与南海局势的未来走向""‘一带一路’与南海局势的发展""南海‘蓝色伙伴’关系--内容与前景"五个议题,进行了深入坦诚的交流与研讨。"南海论坛"旨在构建一个交流和研究平台,以激发前瞻性和创造力的研究和思维方向,推动南海问题综合研究,构建共同的学术网络以服务国家南海战略决策。     

21世纪中国地方政府在中韩关系中的作用

随着中国改革开放的深入和中韩关系的发展,中国地方政府开始在中韩关系中发挥日益重大的作用。本文以山东省、上海市、广东省、湖北省为案例,分析了21世纪中国地方政府在中韩关系中的作用。这种作用体现为以下三个方面：中国地方政府与韩国的经贸关系为中韩关系发展注入了强大的经济动力;中国地方政府与韩国的外事活动为中韩关系发展奠定了坚实的政治基础;中国地方政府与韩国的文化交流为中韩关系发展营造了友好的民意支撑。展望未来的中韩关系,本文得出的相关政策启示在于：对于中国地方政府而言,要为韩国企业入驻创造良好的投资环境;对于中国中央政府而言。需要给予地方政府在发展中韩关系中适当的授权和分权;对于韩国政府而言,需要积极应对中国经济发展方式的重大转变;2012年韩国丽水世博会将是进一步密切中国地方政府与韩国关系的重要契机。     

The Background to the Japan-Republic of Korea Agreement: Compromises Concerning the Understanding of the Comfort Women Issue

This article argues that behind the background of the December 2015 agreement between Japan and South Korea over the issue of comfort women lies the emerging common understanding about the nature of the issue of comfort women, particularly the issue of coerciveness, and the subsequent moderation in rhetoric in mutual security cooperation in view of the destabilization in the region, particularly due to the rise of China and the nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.     

From distrust to mutual interests?: Emerging cooperation in Northeast Asia

In Northeast Asia, historical legacies, a lack of common identity and great power politics impeded political cooperation and economic integration. However, China, Japan and South Korea have exhibited a growing interest in political and economic cooperation since the late 1990s. This article examines how the three Northeast Asian countries have developed political and economic cooperation by using the concept of ‘multilayered intergovernmentalism’. It argues that despite political tensions between China and Japan, regional cooperation among China, Japan and South Korea has been promoted by talks and bargains among the heads of state and government who strengthened incentives for closer cooperation. Moreover, multilayered frameworks formed at the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) level, through the Track II mechanisms, and in issue-specific areas have provided valuable input into advancing regional cooperation initiatives. Whereas the APT framework offered incentives and opportunities to exchange views and information for closer trilateral cooperation, the outcomes of the research at the Track II were incorporated into the leaders' cooperative initiatives. The existence of issue-specific frameworks stirred talks and negotiations at the summit level.     

韩中建交二十一年——论充实、拓展韩中关系与学术交流的重要性

韩中建交以来,双边关系分别经历了"发展阶段"(1992~1998年)、"构建阶段"(1998~2003年)、"提升阶段"(2003~2008年)等三个历史过程。现在,两国关系已经开始进入"强化阶段",即"充实、拓展两国关系内涵阶段"。中国外交部韩半岛事务副代表徐步对韩中建交20年给予了积极的评价。他指出:"在过去二十年间,两国加强了政治互信和战略沟通,韩国是第一个承认中国的完整市场经济地位的国家,是中国主要的贸易伙伴。两国间人员往来十分频繁,在处理国际和区域问题时始终坚持相互沟通与合作的原则。"建交21年来,两国关系取得了飞跃发展,但在诸多领域仍存在矛盾、摩擦。因此,本文在回顾两国关系发展过程中的一些摩擦,并为消除两国关系未来发展障碍提供两点建议。     

East Asian Economic Growth and its Implications for Regional Security

Rapid economic growth in East Asia is changing the nature of international relations in the region. In the economic sphere, mercantilist policies of promoting exports and limiting imports contributed to economic tensions between rapidly growing economies in the region and the region's major trading partner, the United States. These tensions over bilateral trade issues began between Japan and United States, moved on next to South Korea and Taiwan, and have now moved from there to China. In the security field, economic growth in China is leading to a major shift in the balance of power in the region. China's steadily increasing GDP is being accompanied by a comparable rise in its military expenditures despite the fact that China faces no obvious external threats at the present time. China's long term desire to be able to defend against any outside power probably means that this increase in defense expenditures will continue for the next decade or two. North Korea continues to be a threat to stability in the region but only because of its capacity to do enormous damage in one last suicidal attack. The one area where China's rising military expenditures could lead to major confrontation on terms very different from those that would occur today is Taiwan.     

Japan Confronts the Global Economic Crisis

In the face of the global economic crisis of 2008–09, Japan has played a positive role in helping to stabilize the regional and global financial systems. Among the positive actions it has taken have been large-scale fiscal and monetary stimulus at home, an unprecedentedly large loan to the International Monetary Fund, liquidity support to South Korea, and a proactive role in G-20 discussions. However, regional arrangements such as the Chiang Mai Initiative have been of minimal importance in preventing financial crises in East Asia. Japan can continue to demonstrate leadership in promoting regional economies and financial systems by expanding its current activities, while ensuring that regional arrangements continue to support global ones.