There were calls that China's unauthorized installation of structures in recent years in the provisional measures zone (PMZ) between Korea and China in the Yellow Sea amounts to a "gray zone tactic," which falls between wartime and peacetime, and that a strong response is needed.
On the 9th (local time), Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said through CSIS's North Korea–focused site "Beyond Parallel" that "the United States should characterize (China's actions) as gray zone tactics aimed at its Indo-Pacific partners."
Gray zone tactics refer to coercive actions that weaken an opponent by using nonmilitary means without triggering armed conflict.
Cha said, "Washington and Seoul should consider making public the coordinates of the Chinese structures," and added, "the United States should support Korea's claim that China has unilaterally violated the PMZ agreement."
He went on, "What the new U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS) requires in the South China Sea also applies to the Korea-U.S. effort to maintain freedom of navigation in the Yellow Sea," stressing that "strong measures, along with necessary deterrence, must be put in place to keep these sea lanes open, freely transited, and not subject to arbitrary closure by any one country."
In addition, Cha pointed out that China's installation of two large deep-sea aquaculture structures, "Shenlan," and the large structure "Atlantic Amsterdam" within the PMZ without prior consultation with Korea "violates the Korea-China Fisheries Agreement, which prohibits permanent facilities within the PMZ."
The Korea-China Fisheries Agreement was concluded in 2008 to delimit fishing zones between Korea and China. Because activities other than fishing are restricted, resource extraction or installation of structures is interpreted as not allowed, but China has circumvented the agreement since 2018 by installing structures under the pretext of fish farms.
He also noted that "of the 135 attempts by Korean vessels to investigate China's actions since 2020, 27 were blocked by the China Coast Guard," adding that "this includes multiple situations this year in which Korea's research vessel Onnuri was confronted by the China Coast Guard."
He argued that "the installation of civilian facilities for potential dual-use purposes and the harassment of Korean vessels are similar to the 'incremental expansion of sovereignty' gray zone tactics China used when militarizing (islands or reefs) in the South China Sea and the East China Sea."