Ties with ROK have reached a new level

The Republic of Korea, according to an agreement reached last year, will return the remains of another 68 Chinese soldiers who died in the Korean War (1950-53) to China on March 20. The humanitarian move, which follows a similar one last year, is a goodwill gesture by the ROK toward China, which fought on opposite sides in the Korean War, and its people.

On a different level, the return of the Chinese soldiers' remains shows the two countries have established strategic communications, and have made great efforts to resolve their historical feuds and deepen political mutual trust.

The participation of Chinese People's Volunteers in the Korean War, an offshoot of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, was a significant military move aimed at safeguarding the newly founded People's Republic China. A large number of Chinese soldiers died in the war and were buried in the alien land.