SEOUL, April 18 (UPI) -- South Korea is moving a step forward in cementing military ties with its former Cold War rival China, while bracing for a diplomatic standoff with Japan over a disputed territory that has raised concerns about a possible erosion of a U.S.-led joint stance to resolve North Korea's program.
Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan paid a visit to Seoul this week at the invitation of his South Korean counterpart, during which the two neighbors agreed to strengthen their military ties.
In their talks, Cao and South Korean Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung agreed to push for the establishment of a military hotline to prevent accidental armed clashes in the waters between the two countries.
If established, the naval hotline will help reduce possible tensions between the two countries in the Yellow Sea where disputes have occasionally arisen over Chinese fishing boats' trespassing into South Korean territorial waters, Seoul's ministry officials said.
More than 150 Chinese vessels engage in illicit fishing activities in the South Korean waters every day, according to a government report.
The two defense chiefs also discussed holding joint rescue-and-salvage operations between their navies and air forces in the Yellow Sea as part of military confidence-building measures, they said.
In the meeting, Cao "reaffirmed China will continue its efforts for a peaceful resolution of the North Korea nuclear issue and expressed hope for stronger cooperation" with South Korea, the ministry said in a statement.
South Korea hopes China will exert its influence on its communist ally North Korea to give up its nuclear program. China has hosted the six-nation talks on the North Korean nuclear issue.
Just before coming to Seoul, Cao visited Pyongyang and met top North Korean officials, such as the country's No. 2 man Kim Yong Nam and Minister of the People's Armed Forces Kim Il Chol, among others.
Cao reportedly briefed South Korean officials on his trip to North Korea; he is the first Chinese defense minister to visit South Korea since 2000.
On Tuesday, the Federation of Korean Industries, a Seoul-based business leaders' association, hosted a banquet for the visiting Chinese defense chief who traveled to the world's leading technology giant Samsung Electronics south of Seoul.
Meeting with Cao in his Seoul office, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said cooperation and exchanges between defense chiefs of the two countries is "big progress."
Stronger Seoul-Beijing ties will "not only contribute to peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula, but also the Northeast Asia region," Roh said. Cao replied that he "wishes the exchanges and cooperation on the security sector between the two countries will further increase," according to Roh's office.
South Korea and China have been Cold War rivals since the 1950-53 Korean War. During the war, China sent 1 million troops to help prevent North Korea's forces from being overwhelmed by the U.S.-led United Nations force. At least 400,000 soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army were killed in Korea, including a son of Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
In contrast, Seoul's relations with Japan have seriously soured in recent years over territorial and history disputes.
Both South Korea and Japan are Washington's key Asian allies. The three nations are joining forces to press North Korea to give up their nuclear weapons program in the six-nation talks that also involve China and Russia.
But Seoul-Tokyo ties are facing the biggest challenge after Japan's renewed territorial claim to Dokdo, a chain of small islets held by South Korea. Japan calls the islets Takeshima.
Dokdo, a cluster of two main islets and dozens of attached rocks and reefs that lies about halfway between the Korean peninsula and Japan's largest island, Honshu, has long been a source of dispute between the two neighbors.
The impasse has taken a turn for the worse, as Japan plans to launch a maritime exploration project in waters near Dokdo, which South Korea considers as "grave infringement on territorial sovereignty."
South Korea's Cabinet ministers held an emergency meeting on Monday and decided to employ all possible means, including the use of force, to block the Japanese attempt.
The ministers said the Seoul government was ready to seize Japanese ships that enter the South Korean exclusive economic zones despite its strong warnings. South Korea's maritime law allows the authorities to seize any foreign ships that illegally enter its waters, officials said.
The South Korean coast guard has beefed up patrols of its eastern waters to intercept any Japanese vessels that trespass on its waters.
President Roh held a meeting with the country's political leaders on Tuesday to discuss ways to counter Japan's moves.
Seoul-Tokyo ties have already been at their lowest ebb following Japan's publication of history textbooks whitewashing its wartime atrocities and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's controversial visits to the Yasukuni war shrine.
