Amid growing domestic concerns over China's unauthorized installation of structures in the Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ) of the West Sea, it has been reported that the Chinese side has expressed its willingness to arrange on-site visits for Korean officials. However, China continues to maintain its position that the structures are solely for aquaculture purposes, making it uncertain whether any substantive actions such as removal or relocation of the structures will take place.
On April 24, Rep. Eom Taeyoung of the People Power Party revealed photos of an oil drilling facility structure that China unilaterally installed in 2022, claiming it as a management facility in the West Sea provisional arrangement area where the 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of Korea and China overlap. 2025.4.24 [Provided by Rep. Eom Taeyoung's office. Redistribution and DB prohibited] Yonhap News Photo by Yonhap News
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 24, the governments of Korea and China held the "3rd Maritime Cooperation Dialogue" in Seoul the previous day. The meeting was led by Kang Youngshin, Director-General for Northeast and Central Asian Affairs at Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Hong Liang, Director-General of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs at China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with about 20 government officials from each side, totaling around 40 participants. The Korea-China Maritime Cooperation Dialogue was established in December 2019 following an agreement between the foreign ministers of both countries, and this meeting was the first to be held in person.
The unauthorized Chinese structures in the West Sea PMZ were first installed in 2018. There are a total of three structures: two are floating, and one is a platform converted from an oil drilling facility. The platform installed in 2022 raised concerns that it could potentially lead to a maritime sovereignty dispute, prompting the government to respond diplomatically. In particular, in February, the Korea Coast Guard attempted an investigation, but the Chinese side blocked access, resulting in a standoff and subsequent controversy. During the recent meeting, Director-General Kang conveyed the government's deep concerns over the Chinese structures in the central part of the West Sea and emphasized that "our legitimate and lawful maritime rights and interests must not be infringed."
However, the Chinese side reportedly explained that "the structures in question are purely for aquaculture purposes and are unrelated to issues of sovereignty or maritime boundary delimitation." Nevertheless, as China has proposed arranging on-site visits for Korean officials and with President Xi Jinping's visit to Korea highly anticipated during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju this October, it is expected that China will refrain from taking further actions that could worsen bilateral relations.
An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "We made it clear that we cannot accept any further unilateral installation of structures under any circumstances," and explained, "Since the three existing facilities are located within the provisional measures zone under our fisheries agreement, we demanded that they be moved outside the zone." The official added, "If relocation of the already installed structures proves difficult, we told the Chinese side that we may take reciprocal measures." However, as reciprocal measures would require internal review depending on future consultations and actions with China, the official declined to elaborate on specific plans.
The government is also deliberating whether to accept China's proposal for an 'on-site visit.' There are concerns that if the visit arranged by China succeeds in convincing Korea that the structures are indeed for aquaculture purposes, it could limit grounds for demanding further action. The Foreign Ministry official said, "Fundamentally, all Korean and Chinese fishing vessels should be able to navigate and fish freely in the provisional measures zone, but the structures are causing inconvenience to Korean fisheries," adding, "Even if, as China claims, the structures are for aquaculture purposes, we can still request their removal."
Both sides agreed that this issue should not become an obstacle to the development of bilateral relations and decided to continue communication through all available channels. In addition, they agreed to establish subcommittees for more detailed consultations. A "Maritime Order Subcommittee" was established to address bilateral issues such as the West Sea structures and illegal fishing, and a "Practical Cooperation Subcommittee" was set up to discuss cooperation on joint fish release and search and rescue operations. The subcommittees are chaired by directors from the foreign ministries of both countries, with relevant officials participating to exchange views on specific issues.
The two sides agreed to hold the 4th Korea-China Maritime Cooperation Dialogue in China in the future.
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