The President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Moon Jae-in said that his country will not develop or possess nuclear weapons and that no military operation could take place in the Korean Peninsula without consent from the ROK. Moon made the statement during his second policy address on Wednesday. This seems to reinforce the expectation that the strained relationship between China and ROK is on its way to improvement.

Earlier this week, ROK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha reportedly made three pledges: The ROK was not considering any additional THAAD deployment; the country would not participate in the US-led missile defense networks; and the trilateral security cooperation between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo would not extend to a military alliance.

Her remarks have drawn positive response from the Chinese Foreign Ministry. "We value these three aspects of the ROK pledges," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a regular press briefing on Monday in Beijing. The spokesperson also said China hoped that the ROK would fulfill its commitments and deal with the relevant problems, so as to get China-ROK ties back on track.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a press release on Tuesday saying, "Enhancing communication and cooperation is in accordance with the common interests of China and the ROK. Both sides agree to bring communication and cooperation in various fields back on the normal track as soon as possible." 

According to the release, both sides attach great importance to China-ROK ties and stand ready to promote their strategic cooperative partnership. "Both sides agreed to keep communication through military-to-military channels", the release added.

This is widely seen as a sign of a joint effort to improve the strained Sino-ROK relations since the US military installed a THAAD battery that includes six missile launchers in the southeastern ROK county of Seongju. Although the ROK said that the deployment of THAAD on its territory will not target any third country, China has repeatedly stated its opposition to THAAD, as it harms China's strategic security and interests. As a result, trade volume and other exchanges between the two countries have dropped dramatically over the past year.

(With a doctorate degree in communications from the China University of Communications, the author has been working in the field of international journalism for 30 years. The article reflects the author's opinion, and not necessarily the views of CGTN. )