A true time-tested friendship

Though the treaty was a special product of bilateral diplomacy in a special period, and times have now changed with peace and development becoming the trend, its basic spirit remains viable and relevant. Maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula is China's "starting point" when it comes to dealing with the Korean Peninsula issue. As long as this "starting point" does not change, the treaty will retain its value.

On Sept 14, 2006, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said the treaty had been playing an important role in promoting China-DPRK friendship and cooperation, and Beijing wasn't considering amending it. In other words, the significance of the treaty is that it strengthens bilateral cooperation of mutual benefit and helps maintain regional peace and stability.

It is important to note that the core of the treaty lays stress on China-DPRK friendship and cooperation without targeting any third party. It is understandable, though, that some people have called for amending or even abolishing the treaty. Their contention is that the interpretation of the treaty should keep pace with the changing times.

Given the changing international scenario over the past six decades, China has adjusted its overall foreign policy to adapt to new situations. But it has maintained the basic principle of good neighborly relations and peaceful co-existence because it has never applied different policies to different neighbors.

A peacefully rising China is gaining more say and influence in the international arena. This has prompted Washington to try and slap together the US-Japan and US-ROK (the Republic of Korea) alliances into a US-Japan-ROK military coalition in Northeast Asia to counterbalance China's growing influence on neighboring countries.

The potential impact of China's neighborhood policy cannot be underestimated in Northeast Asia. China's peaceful rise in more ways than one will create more opportunities for and bring more benefits to its neighbors, because regardless of whether or not it has signed a treaty with one, China treats all its neighbors as equals.

After launching reform and opening-up, China embarked on the road of peaceful development and advocated creating an amicable, secure and prosperous neighborhood. Over the years, China has been the DPRK's principal trading partner, and the two countries have maintained close exchanges and cooperation in cultural affairs, education, technology, sports and other fields.

China's consistent policy of good-neighborliness has yielded positive results, and there are tons of evidence to prove that, so maintaining the Beijing-Pyongyang treaty is not only in line with China's foreign policy, but also necessary.

The author is director of Border Area Research Institute, affiliated to the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences.

(China Daily 07/09/2011 page5)

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