한중 전략적 협력과 한반도 신뢰프로세스

초록

The new leaderships of Korea and China seek to ensure the internal stability of Korean-Chinese relations and expand the strategic cooperation between them. This trend is expected to have positive effects on South and North Korean relations, the peace and stability of Korean peninsula, and moreover on the creation of the environment for the unification of these two nations. However, considering the unique political reality of Korean-Chinese relations and exogenous variables like North Korea, the US, and Japan, the process of Korea-China strategic cooperation would face a gantlet of problems. In particular, the discrepancy in perspectives of North Korea and the solution to the nuclear issues has a possibility to weaken the strategic cooperation of two nations. The result would determine the success or failure of ‘Korean Peninsula Trust Process’ which is the basis of Park government’s policy on the Korean peninsula. This paper tries to analyze the correlation between Korea-China Strategic Cooperation and Korean Peninsula Trust Process with consideration for the problems mentioned above. This paper firstly examines, by analyzing Korea-China summit last June 27, the political implications of mutual perceptions of two nations, keynote policies and ‘Joint Statement for the Future Vision of South Korea and China’ which is a blueprint for the future relationship of China and Korea. Secondly, this paper considers the core contents, goal and conditions of successful ‘Korean Peninsula Trust Process’ in connection with Chinese factor. Lastly, this paper examines the conditions for virtuous cycle of ‘strengthening of Korea-China Strategic Cooperation’ and ‘positive outcomes of Korean Peninsula Trust Process’. The conditions will be categorized into the substantialization of Korea-China strategic dialogues and their policies toward North Korea. In conclusion, the strengthening of Korea-China Strategic Cooperation is anticipated to provide strong momentum for Korean Peninsula Trust Process. However, Korea-China Strategic Cooperation entails its own structural constraints and Korean Peninsula Trust Process is overly weighted toward positive anticipations as well. Hence, the internal and external efforts of Korea and China to overcome the limitations and the affirmative responses of countries involved would determine the fruits of Korean Peninsula Trust Process.

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