Why is China important?

For many reasons:

China is one of the most crucial nations in the world, especially from South Korea’s perspective. For example, China is the largest trading partner of South Korea: in 2015, China accounted for more than 25 percent of South Korea’s total exports. The trade and investment between the two countries are highly likely to continue to grow, with the recent Korea-China FTA in effect.

China can also play a significant role in security terms, for example, in dealing with the North Korea’s nuclear issue. China is North Korea’s most important ally, biggest trading partner. Since the early 1990s, China has served as the chief food supplier of Pyongyang and has accounted for nearly 90 percent of its energy imports. In this sense, China can exercise decisive influences on North Korea’s behavior. Apart from the North Korean issue, we must take a close look at the recent developments in China’s military in order to understand the power politics on the global stage.

What is more, it seems that Chinese leaders want “great renaissance of the Chinese nation.” President Xi Jinping said recently: China and the United States should strive to create “a new type of great power relationship”.