China blocks South Korean investigation in disputed maritime zone

A South Korean investigation into a Chinese installation in disputed waters led to a standoff between the two countries’ coast guards, according to a new report.

Why It Matters

The incident took place in the Provisional Measures Zone, an area where the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of China and the U.S. ally overlap. Spanning 200 nautical miles, the zone remains the focus of ongoing negotiations to establish a formal maritime boundary between the two nations.

The provisional agreement allows for the joint management of fisheries but bars activities not related to fishing or navigation. However, China’s repeated placement of large metal structures without South Korean approval, which Beijing has said were built to support fishing operations.

Newsweek reached out to the South Korean coast guard by email with a request for comment outside of office hours.

What To Know

The Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, a Busan-based private oceanography research organization, on February 26 dispatched a ship to inspect the latest Chinese installation in the zone, a steel structure measuring 160 feet in diameter and height that was first reported in January.

At approximately 2:30 p.m. and around 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the structure, the vessel was intercepted by Chinese coast guard ships and three rubber boats carrying Chinese civilians.

The Chinese side asked the South Korean team to leave, Yonhap News Agency cited diplomatic sources as saying on Tuesday. While the confrontation did not turn physical, Chinese civilians were observed carrying knives, according to the report.

South Korea’s coast guard responded by dispatching its own vessel, leading to a standoff that lasted more than two hours.

During a Chinese foreign ministry press briefing on Tuesday, spokesperson Mao Ning said she was unfamiliar with the details but insisted the “situation in the Yellow Sea is stable.”

China previously erected similar structures in April and May 2024, only to remove them later following protests from Seoul.

Tensions in the Yellow Sea, known in South Korea as the West Sea, have been heightened by large-scale Chinese fishing operations within South Korea’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), where maritime law grants Seoul exclusive rights to natural resources.

Chinese coast guard ships—one of Beijing’s primary tools for enforcing maritime claims—have recently been observed patrolling contested waters along the 124-degree east longitude and within the South Korean EEZ, according to open-source ship tracking data.

What’s Been Said

Lee Jae-woong, spokesperson, South Korean foreign ministry, was quoted as saying: “We have also delivered our firm position to China regarding the reported incident.”

Mao Ning, spokesperson, Chinese foreign ministry, told reporters: “Regarding the maritime disputes between the two sides, China and the Republic of Korea maintain sound communication through the dialogue and cooperation mechanism of maritime affairs, and the maritime law enforcement authorities of the two countries also maintain a smooth communication channels.”

What’s Next?

It remains uncertain whether South Korea’s protests alone with convince China to remove the structure.

Dong Gyu-lee, a research fellow at the Seoul-based Asian Institute for Policy Studies, told Newsweek last month that the increased activity by both Chinese civilian ships and maritime forces are aimed at reinforcing Beijing’s territorial claims—possibly to pressure Seoul as it further strengthens security ties with Washington.