Joint poll shows S. Koreans differ on U.S. military role
Over half of Chinese surveyed said they have a negative impression of Japan, a fifth higher than that of South Koreans, according to a recent poll. [Special coverage]
Experts believe that the Japanese government's denial of wartime history and its stance on territorial disputes have led to its neighbors' negative impression of the country.
The survey, which polled 1,000 people in China and 1,000 in South Korea, was jointly conducted by the Global Times and Seoul-based MK Business News.
The poll showed that 55.9 percent of Chinese respondents and 33.1 percent of South Korean counterparts said that they dislike Japan.
When asked whether it is necessary for the three countries to restart a summit after three years, 55.2 percent of the Chinese surveyed and 65.2 percent of South Koreans said that the dialogue can be re-opened if Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is willing to apologize for his country's wartime aggression.
According to the survey, 94.2 percent of South Korean respondents and 48.3 percent of Chinese respondents said that they are worried about the revival of militarism in the next decade.
"The South Korean people are more alert to Japanese militarism due to Japanese colonial rule in the Korean Peninsula," Dong Xiangrong, a professor from the National Institute of International Strategy Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
Compared with the Chinese respondents, the South Korean respondents were more pessimistic about the security situation in Northeast Asia.
Jin Qiangyi, director of the Asia Studies Center at Yanbian University, said that the high tensions with North Korea deepened South Korean residents' concerns over the future of the Korean Peninsula.
According to the survey, respondents in the two countries also differed on whether the U.S. should interfere if military conflicts break out in the East Asia region. About 60 percent of South Korean respondents support US interference while 74.1 percent of Chinese oppose it.
Dong said that South Koreans consider the U.S. their ally able to maintain the stability in the Asian-Pacific region while China sees the country as a potential competitor.
The survey likewise showed that nearly half of Chinese respondents look forward to closer diplomatic ties with Russia, followed by ties with the U.S. while roughly 50 percent of South Korean respondents prefer to improve diplomatic ties with the U.S., followed by China.
Half of the South Koreans surveyed said they want their country to establish closer economic ties with China, while the Chinese respondents regard Russia as the country's top economic partner.
Jin said that South Korea is more inclined to depend on China economically but rely on the U.S. for security.
"On the other hand, abundant resources in Russia attracted many Chinese investors. Politically, China hopes to balance the US influence in the region by working with Russia," said Jin.
The survey also showed that 72 percent of Chinese prefer stronger economic ties with South Korea, and 44.4 percent South Koreans support stronger military ties with China.
South Korea is more aware of the importance of China in helping the country resolve conflicts with North Korea, Jin noted.
Finally, 36.9 percent of South Korean respondents oppose a China-South Korea "community of shared destiny" and 46.2 percent of Chinese respondents remain neutral on this issue.
