US Ally Reveals Chinese Military Activity Near American Base

China has reportedly dispatched naval vessels to waters near a United States air base in South Korea, as the East Asian power continues to expand its military presence in the contested region.

Newsweek has contacted the Chinese defense and foreign ministries for comment by email.

Why It Matters

South Korea—a U.S. ally that hosts American forces—created the Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ) in the Yellow Sea, where Seoul and Beijing’s 230-mile-wide Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) overlap, as the two countries have yet to establish permanent maritime boundaries.

China has recently expanded its military presence in the disputed waters of the Yellow Sea, including repeated deployment of warships and the declaration of “no-sail zones” for war games, raising South Korea’s concerns that its neighbor is attempting to alter the status quo.

What To Know

Citing South Korean military data provided to a lawmaker on Tuesday, newspaper Korea JoongAng Daily reported that the Chinese navy deployed ships to “South Korean-controlled waters” in the Yellow Sea approximately 170 times between January and May.

Chinese vessels—equipped with surveillance systems—reportedly sailed within 37 miles of South Korea’s territorial waters west of Eocheong Island several times. Waters extending up to 13.8 miles from the coast are considered under South Korean sovereignty.

The Yellow Sea island lies approximately 37 miles from Kunsan Air Base—the home station of the U.S. Air Force’s Eighth Fighter Wing—on South Korea’s west coast. This places the distance between the base and the Chinese navy’s operating location at 88 miles.

“The presence of these sensor-equipped ships suggests that China is likely engaged in some level of intelligence-gathering,” a South Korean defense official said, according to the report.

This was the first time South Korea’s military has confirmed that Chinese ships operating in the area were equipped with “sea surveillance radars and other reconnaissance technology.”

The Chinese vessels operating near South Korea are reportedly capable of spying from “hundreds of miles” away, enabling them to monitor flight operations, signal transmissions, and electronic communications at Kunsan Air Base.

What People Are Saying

A South Korean defense official said, according to Korea JoongAng Daily: “While it is difficult to officially assess the intent of another country’s military activities, it is presumed that China is seeking to expand its regional influence.”

Shin Beom-chul, senior researcher at the Sejong Institute in South Korea, told Korea JoongAng Daily: “It’s possible that China is using this as an opportunity to test its expanded naval power, strengthened through its Belt and Road Initiative, and may be targeting U.S. military bases near the Yellow Sea.”

What Happens Next

It remains to be seen how South Korea and the U.S. will respond to China’s growing naval presence in the Yellow Sea, as they remain preoccupied with countering North Korea’s threats.