China's efforts to improve relations with South Korea on the people's level may struggle to overcome the impact of political tensions, an observer in Seoul has warned.

The head of China's ruling Communist Party body tasked with people-to-people diplomacy recently concluded a visit to South Korea, held up as an effort to "recall the start of the [bilateral] friendship" and "revitalise cooperation mechanisms".

"China and South Korea are inseparable neighbours, friends, and partners, and have become an increasingly close community of shared interest and destiny," Lin Songtian, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said as he met officials, academics, and representatives of non-governmental organisations during his three-day trip.

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But whether Chinese willingness to revive civic cooperation succeeds in boosting economic and cultural ties remains in doubt, amid tensions over South Korea's links with treaty ally the United States, whose Indo-Pacific strategy is seen by Beijing to be aimed at containing China.

Lin Songtian, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, visited South Korea and Japan. Photo: Handout alt=Lin Songtian, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, visited South Korea and Japan. Photo: Handout>

Choo Jae-woo, professor of Chinese studies at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, described Lin's trip as an attempt to "break the ice".

However, economic and cultural interaction "won't show too much progress" under Chinese President Xi Jinping, said Choo, who took part in one of the events with Lin's delegation.

"People-to-people diplomacy is dictated by politics under Xi," he said. "China still effectively bans all Korean satellite TV stations ... No Korean drama, no nothing as of today."

South Korean tensions with China spiked in August over the expansion of a US-made anti-ballistic system, stationed near Seoul since 2017. China says the system's radars pose a security threat, while South Korea maintains it is meant to counter threats from North Korea.

This comes as South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office last May, adopts a tougher stance on China than his predecessor. This has seen Yoon bolster security cooperation with Washington and Nato, as well as Japan - the other major US ally in East Asia.

Lin, who arrived in Seoul on March 26, also visited Japan before wrapping up his trip on Saturday.

Meanwhile, political tensions have hurt South Korean public opinion on China. A recent study by the Sinophone Borderlands project, a global online survey on attitudes towards China, found South Koreans viewed China more negatively than any other country in the region, especially on the aspects of natural environment and technology.

In an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily on Monday, Lin admitted the existence of "undesirable" public opinion on either side.

He attributed the sentiment to the "speedy development" of China, the lack of personal exchanges during the pandemic, and the "smearing" and "misleading" efforts of "some countries outside of the region".

In a meeting the same day with South Korea's deputy foreign minister, Choi Young-sam, Lin emphasised that his visit showed how highly China valued the need to "enhance friendship and strengthen friendly exchanges and cooperation".

It also showed China's eagerness for "peaceful and friendly" relations and prosperous development with both Japan and South Korea, he said.

People-to-people relations, focused on non-governmental exchanges of the people, have always been part of China's overall diplomatic strategy.

Lin, a former Chinese ambassador, recently also became deputy head of the foreign affairs committee of the country's top political advisory body.

In talks with Incheon mayor Yoo Jeong-Bok on Tuesday, Lin remarked on the "remarkable geographical advantages" of the neighbouring capital city of Seoul, which conducted frequent exchanges with China.

Yoo pledged to deepen ties with China, saying "local-level exchange and cooperation, especially with [Chinese] sister cities, is of foremost importance, and should not be affected by official relations".

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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