South Korea on Sunday declared the expansion of its Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ), extending it to cover Suyan Rock, which partially overlaps with a similar zone China has just established. In sharp contrast to their strong reactions to China's establishment of its ADIZ, the US and Japan took a rather soft attitude toward Seoul's move. South Korea asserted that its decision would not cause regional tension.

Seoul has named the submerged Suyan Rock "Ieodo," and unilaterally built a maritime science research station on it. Since the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) respectively claimed by China and South Korea overlap in areas adjoining Suyan Rock, demarcation has not been resolved and both have agreed to shelve the dispute in the past.

South Korea took advantage of the China-Japan confrontation over the ADIZ to expand its own zone. This is of no strategic significance to South Korea in the region; Seoul's opportunism means it has just grabbed a petty advantage.  

South Korea acts tough in the dispute of Dokdo, known as Takeshima in Japanese, but Japan tolerates this. South Korea claims Suyan Rock is an island and has erected buildings on it to increase its leverage in negotiations with China over demarcation of the EEZ. If a similar thing were to occur between China and Japan, Japan would not so easily let the issue go.     

Different from China's encounters, South Korea's expansion of its KADIZ did not attract much outside pressure, which makes clear how much China is geographically pressured as a rising power. China's establishment of its ADIZ was widely interpreted as its intention to change the accepted norms among East Asian powers. In future, the rest of the world will be more inclined to interpret China's actions from a strategic angle.

South Korea's air force is more like the guard of honor among major powers in Northeast Asia, and its expansion of the KADIZ has no practical military significance. South Korea has failed to stabilize its diplomatic strategy in recent years, instead, it turns to pragmatism. For example, it endeavors to develop relations with China at the same time as maintaining the South Korea-US alliance. It also holds a carrot-and-stick approach to North Korea.

South Korea's nationalism, which is different from Japan's, poses no threat to China. South Korea needs to be wary of the serious results if it drifts away from healthy China-South Korea ties.

China respects South Korea's interests, and views it as a key partner to develop friendly relations with. We hope South Korea can respond to China's goodwill and won't go too far.