Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung during the APEC chairmanship handover session of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea, Nov. 1, 2025. Xi said here on Saturday that the Chinese city of Shenzhen will host the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in November 2026. Photo: Xinhua
During talks with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on November 1 in Gyeongju, Chinese President Xi Jinping noted that to help one’s neighbor succeed is to help oneself. This succinct yet profound statement not only reveals the cooperative logic underpinning China-South Korea relations but also embodies the Eastern wisdom of building an Asia-Pacific community. It serves both as a summary of the experience gained over more than three decades of bilateral ties and as a guiding principle for future regional peace and shared prosperity.
"To help one’s neighbor succeed" is not abstract diplomatic rhetoric, but a practical insight rooted in the shared geography, culture and economic ties between China and South Korea. China and South Korea are geographically close, culturally connected, and economically intertwined. This deep interdependence makes the two countries a typical community of shared interests and a community with a shared destiny, where our interests and development are inextricably linked. Looking back over the past three decades, the very history of China-South Korean relations is one of mutual achievement.
In the early 1990s, as China entered a pivotal phase of reform and opening-up, substantial South Korean capital, technology and management expertise flowed into China, becoming a vital catalyst for the rise of Chinese manufacturing. At the same time, China’s vast market and demographic dividend provided unprecedented growth opportunities for the South Korean economy. It’s fair to say that China has drawn experience and impetus from South Korea’s development, while South Korea has secured a new round of economic growth driven by China’s take-off. Consequently, our bilateral trade surged from $5 billion at the outset of diplomatic relations to over $320 billion by 2024. China became South Korea’s largest trading partner, while South Korea rose to become China’s second-largest trading partner. This reality demonstrates that the best way for neighboring countries to get along has always been mutual achievement.
In recent years, a sense of unease has emerged within South Korea, with some individuals expressing increasing wariness and even apprehension toward China’s rapid development, particularly its industrial and technological advancements. With pressure and influence from the US and other Western nations, these individuals have begun to overstate the competitive dynamics between China and South Korea, while overlooking the fresh cooperative opportunities arising from China’s high-quality development. In fact, artificial intelligence, the digital economy, bio-pharmaceuticals, green industries, and the silver economy, among others, are all areas of emerging bilateral cooperation that can be further explored. During this meeting, both sides also reached a consensus to accelerate negotiations for the second phase of the China-South Korea Free Trade Agreement, which will further expand future cooperation between the two nations.
Indeed, China and South Korea are not only economic partners but are also similarly closely affected by the security situation in Northeast Asia. Maintaining the stability of the Korean Peninsula, regional supply chain security, climate governance, cybersecurity, and combating telecom fraud all require joint efforts from both countries. China has consistently emphasized that upholding peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula serves the common interests of all parties. From this perspective, "to help one’s neighbor succeed" represents not only economic symbiosis but also shared responsibility for security risks.
From a broader perspective, the stronger the trust between neighboring countries, the more solid the foundation for regional peace becomes. Cooperation between China and South Korea represents a transcendence of the logic of geopolitical rivalry. In today’s turbulent global landscape, with intensifying geopolitical competition, certain countries are attempting to divide Asia and undermine regional cooperation through narratives and actions centered on "bloc politics" and "camp confrontation."
In this sense, "helping one’s neighbor succeed" is a powerful response to such Cold War mentality. China’s emphasis on win-win cooperation, mutual respect, and mutual trust reflects an inclusive vision for regional order. This vision not only serves the interests of both China and South Korea but also contributes to the long-term stability and development of the entire Asia-Pacific region.
Another meaning of "helping one’s neighbor succeed" is that helping a neighbor should never come at the neighbor’s expense. True neighborliness lies in mutual support while avoiding harm to each other’s core interests. The same applies to relations between nations: countries should respect and trust one another, rather than doubting each other or becoming tools of external powers.
Regrettably, in recent years, under the banner of its "Indo-Pacific Strategy" and "alliance modernization," the US has sought to draw South Korea into military and economic frameworks aimed at containing China, pushing Seoul to the forefront of confrontation. Such an approach neither aligns with South Korea’s national interests nor embodies the spirit of "helping one’s neighbor succeed." China has never interfered in South Korea’s internal affairs or taken actions that hinder its development; likewise, South Korea should avoid participating in any actions that undermine China’s security and development interests. If South Korea seeks to pursue its own interests by catering to the strategic intentions of the Washington hawks and, in doing so, goes all out for Washington on issues concerning China’s core interests, it would undoubtedly constitute a departure from the principles of good neighborliness. Such behavior would not only erode mutual trust but also drag South Korea into deeper security dilemma.
The idea that "to help one’s neighbor succeed is to help oneself" points the way forward for the development of China-South Korea relations in the new era and provides valuable insight for reshaping the Asia-Pacific order.
At a time when economic globalization faces headwinds and protectionism is on the rise, both countries need a stable and predictable external environment. A good neighbor is more precious than gold. For South Korea, China is not a threat but an opportunity; for China, South Korea is not a rival but a partner. Both nations should take pride in each other’s success, because when one neighbor prospers, the other becomes safer and more prosperous as well.
原文地址：http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/1104/c90000-20385882.html