It is equally important for China and the ROK to deepen their cooperation in exploring and gathering more evidence on Japan's history of aggression to expose the lies being uttered by the current band of Japanese leaders.

Xi's visit to the ROK is a major opportunity to strengthen China-ROK relations. The practice since 1992, when China and the ROK established diplomatic ties, shows that strengthened China-ROK ties will not affect the development of China-DPRK relations. On the contrary, by strengthening its relations with Seoul, Beijing could put benign pressure on Pyongyang to help resolve the nuclear issue. Better China-ROK and China-DPRK relations will also promote interactive relations among countries that are eager to lift the Cold War shadow from Northeast Asia. Therefore, China and the ROK can work together to inject more positive energy in the regional peace process.

The key to resolving the DPRK nuclear issue, however, is the relationship between the US and the DPRK. Of late, there have been some positive changes in Japan-DPRK ties, and only if US-DPRK relations develop on similar lines can the Peninsula nuclear issue be resolved.

An important external condition that influenced China to embrace reform and opening-up more than three decades ago was the improvement in the relations between countries of the two camps divided by the Cold War, as well as the improved ties between Beijing and Washington and the establishment of diplomatic ties between Beijing and Tokyo. This historical experience, if put to use today, can help resolve the DPRK nuclear issue and improve the DPRK's economic and development environment.

The author is a professor of international studies in Jilin University.