China and South Korea on Tuesday held the first 2+2 vice-ministerial level diplomatic and security dialogue in Seoul, among other bilateral channels that were resumed in line with agreements reached during the China-Japan-South Korea trilateral leaders' meeting in late May.

Observers expressed the hope that this upgraded mechanism can help address China-South Korea differences and tackle risks, and increase mutual political trust, so as to stabilize bilateral relations and inject more stability into the region amid uncertainties in Northeast Asia. 

Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Sun Weidong and Deputy Director of the Office for International Military Cooperation of the Central Military Commission Zhang Baoqun met with South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun and Director General for International Policy at the Defense Ministry Lee Seung-beom, according to media reports.  

For the 2+2 dialogue, South Korea's priority is the Korean Peninsula situation, which has been worsening in recent months. China wants South Korea to respect its core interests and understand its concerns, namely the Taiwan question, when it develops relations with other countries, observers said, adding the broader security of industrial and supply chains could also be discussed. 

Beyond bilateral significance  

China and South Korea set up the 2+2 diplomatic and security dialogue at the director-general level in 2002, and decided to upgrade the dialogue to vice-ministerial level in 2020. Since then, the two sides have maintained communication on the specific timing of the dialogue in light of the schedules of the officials leading the dialogue and overall bilateral interaction, and agreed to hold the dialogue on June 18 this year, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday at a routine press briefing.

Holding the upgraded 2+2 dialogue at an early date was among the agreements reached between China and South Korea on the sidelines of the trilateral leaders' meeting in May, per media reports. 

The establishment, upgrade and timing of the 2+2 dialogue mechanism were determined quite early on by the two sides in light of the need to grow bilateral relations and "have no particular link to other countries," Lin noted, amid many analyses which connected the dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea. 

The 2+2 dialogue is primarily a bilateral mechanism, but "against the backdrop of the prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict and escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, China-South Korea communication on security matters indeed carries significance beyond the bilateral level, Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.  

Da believes close communication and coordination between China and South Korea could to a certain extent offset the malicious noises hyping a camp confrontation and new Cold War in Northeast Asia. 

Observers expect the mechanism to be a "three-fold" platform for strategic communication to enhance mutual recognition and avoid misjudgment; for strategic coordination to maximize common ground and resolve differences to reach consensus; and for risk control and management as well as joint response to emergencies in economic and security areas. 

Creating buffers 

Dong Xiangrong, senior fellow at the National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, saw the 2+2 dialogue as a specific embodiment of bilateral efforts to bring their relationship up from a low point. 

China and South Korea are important neighbors and trade partners, but the breadth, density, and depth of exchanges between the two countries at various levels do not match the importance of their relationship, Dong said, adding that many mechanisms were interrupted during the pandemic and require speedy recoveries. 

Echoing Dong, Da said bilateral communication on diplomacy and security matters has long lagged behind economic and cultural ties. Routine dialogue through the upgraded 2+2 mechanism can help enhance mutual political trust and conversely nurture trade and people-to-people exchanges, Da said. 

The 2+2 dialogue is one of multiple positive signals suggesting the Yoon Suk-yeol administration is adjusting its China policy as it faces pressures of governance.

Yoon faces a strong opposition at parliament after the People Power Party losses in the legislative elections in April, a low approval rate dangling between 20-30 percent, and economic problems including soaring prices and youth unemployment. 

As Yoon and the People Power Party are unlikely to abruptly change their conservative stance, and South Korea's alliance with the US continues to be a constraint, Da hopes that China and South Korea can multiply and consolidate bilateral mechanisms, creating as many buffers as possible to withstand future challenges. 

Chinese Premier Li Qiang and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in May also agreed to accelerate the second phase of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations and resume people-to-people, cultural and youth exchanges.

The recovery of bilateral relations will not happen overnight, Dong said, as it requires the existing cooperation mechanisms to become active again and new mechanisms to be established. Both sides should have clear and close understanding of the current international situation in order to explore common interests and to make continuous and unremitting efforts to move toward each other. 

South Korean tourists visit the Baofeng Lake of Wulingyuan District in Zhangjiajie, Central China's Hunan Province, May 24, 2024. South Korean tourists to this scenic spot in first quarter of 2024 increased 27 percent in comparison to Q1 of 2019, and account for more than 40 percent of all inbound tourists to Zhangjiajie. (Photo: Xinhua)

South Korean visitors queue to bid farewell to Fu Bao, a giant panda on dis play for her final day at the Panda World of Everland Resort in Yongin, South Korea, on March 3, 2024. Photo: cnsphoto Inset: Giant panda Fu Bao eats bamboo at the Panda World of Everland Resort on March 3, 2024 in Yongin, South Korea. Photo: VCG