The conflict It began in the months of April and May 2024. In front of its coasts, in The yellow seaSouth Korea sighted a series of floating structures in the space that delimits the nation with China. From Beijing it was tried to reassure the neighbor explaining that what they saw only had fishing connotations, but no one escaped then that behind the movement could exist much more. New structures have turned on the spirits in Korea.
A new dispute zone. As we said, a few weeks ago China began The construction of maritime infrastructure in the yellow seaa strategically crucial area between the Chinese Costa and the Korean Peninsula. The new facilities, A floating steel structure of more than 50 meters high and widewere detected by South Korean satellites, raising concerns that China is using the tactics of consolidating territorial claims through permanent constructions.
With An area of 417,000 square kilometers, the yellow sea is rich in marine resources, oil and gaswhich makes it a key point of economic and geopolitical interest for both nations. Until now, South Korea has protested by the installation of Several structures since 2024claiming that these could be part of a major plan in China to exercise sovereignty over the area. In fact, the South Korean authorities believe that Beijing could build up to 12 of these structures, which would turn the area into a friction point into the already tense relations between both countries.
China and its maritime tactics. The strategy of building permanent structures to affirm sovereignty is not new in Chinese politics. Moreover, Beijing has applied similar tactics in the South China Seawhere has transformed reefs into military bases And he has claimed jurisdiction on disputed waters with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and other countries. Everything indicates that the strategy seems to spread to the yellow sea, with direct implications for South Korea and its allies (Particularly, the United States).
What does China say. We said it at the beginning. Chinese officials They have tried to minimize controversyalways describing these facilities as “fishing support infrastructures”but the South Korean security community fears that they are advanced for an eventual statement of Chinese sovereignty.
In the words of Sang Hun Seokformer South Korean Diplomatic and Security Analyst, “these facilities act as the maritime equivalent of boots on the ground, establishing a physical presence that China will then use to consolidate their claims.”
The provisional measures zone. The truth is that the yellow sea has been a historical dispute area between China and South Korea. In 2001, Both countries established the one known as the provisional measures zone (PMZ) to administer the area of exclusive economic zones (ZEE) and avoid confrontations, delimiting fishing rights and prohibiting new constructions or the exploitation of resources until reaching a permanent agreement. Under it, the two nations are prohibited from building infrastructure or exploiting resources beyond fishing if the other does not agree.
What happens? What South Korea He has repeatedly denounced for years that China has ignored these restrictionsallowing their fishermen to operate illegally in the South Korean Zee. Said dispute has even led to violent clasheswith South Korean maritime patrols shooting against Chinese vessels on more than one occasion. Hence, the construction of permanent structures is now seen as a new level of provocation, as it could sit a precedent that Weakens the capacity of South Korea to assert your maritime rights.
The elephant in the room: USA. He Mutual Defense Pact between South Korea and the United States makes this dispute just a bilateral issue. With 28,000 American soldiers parked in South Koreaany Chinese movement that alters the strategic balance in the region could attract Washington’s attention. Until now, Americans have maintained a containment approach against Chinese expansion in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, but but The yellow sea could become a new piece on the game board.
Dispute with historical roots. From the Chinese perspective, Yellow Sea control has a strategic and symbolic weight. The reason? In the last 200 years, The great battles that defined the history of China were fought in this regionfrom the Opium wars until The Sino-Japanese war. Under this perspective, Beijing’s official narrative considers these wars as a historical humiliation imposed by foreign powers, and recovering absolute control over its coast is seen as part of the restoration of his “historical law”.
The Chinese argument to reject an equitable division of the ZEE with South Korea is based on the fact that Its population and their coast are significantly largerso they believe that the dividing line should favor them. On the other sidewalk, South Korea and its allies defend the principle of the “midpoint”, according to which the maritime border should be drawn equally between both countries.
And where do it leads to us? It is the big question. Of course, so far the dispute has not reached the seriousness of the Conflict in the South China Sea or the Eastern China Sea, where the Asian nation maintains confrontations with the Philippines and Japan respectivelybut the situation could quickly intensify if Beijing continues to expand its presence.
It would not really be “so much.” If South Korea, with the support of the United States, decides to directly challenge these constructions, we could see a new front of tensions in the Indo-Pacific. Perhaps for this reason, at this time the great unknown is to know how far South Korea will allow (and its alliance with the United States) that Chinese tactics advance before taking more forceful measures.
Image | Grid-AendalNASA
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