China and South Korea should aim for free trade agreement without Japan

South Korean President Park Geun-hye has successfully concluded her historic state visit to China known as the "journey of faith". Her visit was fruitful because the Republic of Korea signed a series of cooperation agreements to further enrich the strategic partnership, increase mutual trust and lay a solid foundation for strong relations between the two sides in the future.

In fact, Park's successful visit to China has not only strengthened bilateral relations, but also reshaped relations among the Northeast Asian economic giants Japan, South Korea and China. It may therefore affect their moves toward a free trade agreement.