China said it is moving some of the structures it installed without authorization in the Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ) of the Yellow Sea between Korea and China. This is seen as a result of President Lee Jae-myung meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in China early this month and asking for the removal of the structures in the Yellow Sea.
Guo Jiakun, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, said at a regular briefing on the 27th, "Chinese corporations are currently carrying out work related to the relocation of management facilities." He added, "This is a deployment autonomously adjusted by the corporations in accordance with their own operational and development needs."
Asked whether "China's move is related to Korea's request," the spokesperson Guo said, "China's position on the issue of fishing and aquaculture facilities in the southern Yellow Sea remains unchanged," adding, "China and Korea are neighboring countries at sea, and the two sides are maintaining close communication on maritime-related issues, properly managing differences, and promoting mutually beneficial cooperation."
Since 2018, China has set up 13 ocean observation buoys in the Provisional Measures Zone between Korea and China, the "Shenlan No. 1" and "Shenlan No. 2," which it claims are deep-sea salmon aquaculture facilities, and structures in the form of oil drilling rigs under the pretext of installing facilities to manage them. The Chinese side has refused our government's request to dismantle the structures, saying they are "for salmon aquaculture."
Then, at the Korea-China summit on the 5th of this month during President Lee's visit to China, the issue of the structures in the Yellow Sea was placed on the agenda, and two days later at a press conference, Lee said China had conveyed its intention to withdraw some of the structures. Lee said, "(China) will move the structures," adding, "We agreed to draw a line in the middle of the joint management zone and will hold working-level consultations."