RELATIONS BETWEEN THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA: CONTEMPORARY STATE AND DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS

This article is about current state of bilateral relations between the Republic of Korea and the People's Republic of China and about prospects of their cooperation. The People's Republic of China and the Republic of Korea are two countries of Northeast Asia that are closely related to each other both in historical retrospective and in contemporary period. Sino-South Korean relations in the second half of the 20th century began to take shape only in the 1980s. Deepening into the general historical situation of that time allows us to understand the reasons for the absence of any contacts since the 1950s, and to explain the current confrontation between the countries, and then to identify the prerequisites for the formation of the first bilateral contacts between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Korea. However, in political terms, they are today on opposite sides of the "barricades". There are also problem areas in economic cooperation between them. However, the potential for interaction between the Republic of Korea and the People's Republic of China is enormous. Since 2015, Sino-South Korean security exchanges have shown steady improvement. There is a successful experience of cooperation in the military sphere as well. Free trade agreements were concluded between them. These and many other facts which suggest that there are certain prerequisites for China and South Korea to become strategic partners at the regional level. Despite some difficulties in bilateral relations between China and South Korea, it can be assumed that these relations are most likely to develop in a positive way and are unlikely to turn into confrontation.