Bonds deepened

China and the ROK established diplomatic relations in 1992, and this August marks the 33rd anniversary of diplomatic ties.

Analysts said economic and trade cooperation has served as an anchor in stabilizing bilateral relations, as annual two-way trade volume has surged more than 60-fold over the course of the past 33 years.

Last year, annual bilateral trade reached $328.08 billion, up 5.6 percent year-on-year, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

China has been the ROK's largest trade partner for 21 consecutive years, while the ROK now ranks as China's fifth-largest trade partner.

As part of recent frequent high-level interactions between the two countries, ROK President Lee Jaemyung sent a group of special envoys to China in August led by former National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug for a four-day visit.