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Time to upgrade the quality of Korea-China cooperation

Published: 07 Apr. 2026, 00:04

Dai Bing

The author is the Chinese ambassador to Korea.

China’s annual “Two Sessions,” referring to the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, were recently held successfully. The meetings serve as an important window through which to observe China’s domestic and foreign policies and a stage where what China describes as “whole-process people’s democracy” is put into practice. One of the key agendas this year was the deliberation and approval of the outline for the 15th Five-Year Plan, which sets out a development blueprint for the next five years. The characteristics of this year’s meetings can be summarized in three keywords.

The 14th National People's Congress (NPC) holds the closing meeting of its fourth session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 12, 2026. Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders including Li Qiang, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi and Han Zheng attended the meeting. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

First is high-quality development. The fundamental purpose of five-year plans is to break down overarching strategic goals into phased tasks and implement them steadily, one by one. Through 14 such plans, China has grown into the world’s second-largest economy, the largest manufacturing power and the leading trading nation in goods, demonstrating both vitality and resilience.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China will firmly adhere to high-quality development, build a modern industrial system and accelerate high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology. It also plans to develop a strong domestic market, optimize regional economic structures and advance a comprehensive green transition. This year, China has set an economic growth target of 4.5 to 5 percent and is working to achieve better results. The target is a proactive and practical figure that clarifies a lower bound while leaving sufficient room for potential, and is conducive to maintaining a focus on high-quality development.

Second is open development. Openness is a defining feature of Chinese-style modernization and a path that must be taken. Over the years, China has steadily expanded its opening up, evolving from the world’s factory to the world’s market, from opening in goods to opening at the institutional level and from passive to proactive openness. China has already become a major trading partner for more than 150 countries and regions and has maintained a contribution of around 30 percent to global economic growth for years.

In response to tariff wars, trade wars and technology wars, China maintains that it upholds genuine multilateralism while firmly safeguarding the free trade system and the stability of global industrial and supply chains. In 2025, China fully removed restrictions on foreign investment access in the manufacturing sector and announced a zero-tariff policy on exports to China from 53 African countries that have diplomatic relations with China. These measures demonstrate not only its willingness to open up but also its sense of responsibility.

Third is peaceful development. Peace is presented as an intrinsic gene of Chinese culture and a fundamental characteristic of China’s diplomacy. The Chinese people, it says, deeply understand the value of peace. Rather than fueling regional conflicts or taking advantage of turmoil, China has consistently sought to promote reconciliation and dialogue. It positions itself as a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of the international order. China states that it will not follow the historical path in which a strong country inevitably pursues hegemony, and instead seeks to work with the international community to advance initiatives on global development, security, civilization and governance, and to build a community with a shared future for humanity.

President Lee Jae Myung, on a state visit to China for a Korea-China summit, inspects an honor guard with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Jan. 5. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

China and Korea are neighbors that cannot be relocated and cooperative partners that cannot be separated. At the end of last year and the beginning of this year, President Xi Jinping and President Lee Jae Myung exchanged visits, opening a new phase in bilateral relations and injecting fresh vitality into friendly cooperation. As the international situation grows more complex and challenges continue to emerge, safeguarding the healthy and stable development of bilateral ties has become even more strategically important.

China’s pursuit of high-quality development, higher-level opening up and peaceful development with win-win cooperation presents opportunities for neighboring countries. Although practical cooperation between the two countries is already broad in scope, large in scale and deep in substance, considerable potential remains to be explored. It would be beneficial for various sectors in Korea, particularly the business community, to make use of a new normal in bilateral cooperation that shifts from a vertical division of labor to horizontal collaboration.

The 15th Five-Year Plan presented at this year’s Two Sessions offers an opportunity to understand change, respond wisely and actively shape it. While consolidating existing cooperation, both sides are encouraged to enhance the quality of cooperation in emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, biopharmaceuticals, green energy and the silver economy, thereby contributing to a more advanced stage of bilateral relations.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.