Pacific Affairs: An International Review of Asia and the Pacific

Volume 76, No. 4

 

From a Special Relationship to a Normal Partnership?: Interpreting the Garlic Battle in Sino-South Korean Relations
By Jae Ho Chung

 

Abstract

The Seoul-Beijing relationship since the late 1970s until prior to diplomatic normalization [in 1992] was always treated as special, if not extraordinary. Since normalization, for much of the 1990s the relationship basked in a "honeymoon" period, in which mutual understanding and accommodation flourished. In the summer of 2000, however, the so-called garlic battle erupted between South Korea and China, pointing to the possible termination of the honeymoon phase. The pace, magnitude and subsequent shock waves of the trade dispute were felt so intensely that many observers assessed that the special relationship might finally give way to a more normal relationship based on interest and reciprocity.

While, in retrospect, the dispute has not necessarily put an end to the Sino-South Korean honeymoon, it has nevertheless revealed the sobering implication that China may have become willing to implement punitive actions against South Korea instead of adhering to a silent understanding and benign tolerance just for the sake of sustaining the beneficial relationship. More specifically, this article explores why China chose to retaliate against South Korea in the way it did, considering that Beijing applied tougher measures against Seoul than against Tokyo in a similar trade dispute. It seems that China did not retaliate against South Korea more harshly because it was weaker than Japan. Quite the contrary, it was South Korea that escalated the dispute prematurely out of considerations for its domestic politics, only to find itself facing a further escalation by China.