Taipei, Taiwan – South Korea declared that it was considering setting up a “necessary installation” to overlap territorial waters with China in sea Yellow as counter -measures to the installation by Beijing of a steel structure in the region.
South Korean media reports indicate that the structure, which is 50 meters (164 feet) both in height and in diameter, is the last of the three Chinese installations in the waters. Beijing said all the structures concerned aquaculture.
“Regarding the proportional measure, we take this question very seriously from the point of view of the protection of our maritime territory,” the Minister of the Oceans of South Korea, Kang Do-Hyung said on Monday, adding that the government must first decide “what type of installation is necessary at what level”.
“We protest firmly with China through diplomatic channels. We consider this question with the greatest gravity, given its importance and our position on the protection of our maritime territory, “said Kang.
Kang’s remarks came after the media reported that the disputed structure is an old oil platform that was used in the Middle East.
The structure, equipped with a heliport, “Atlantic Amsterdam” written on its surface, which is the name of an oil platform built by France in 1982, based daily in Seoul Chosun Ilbo reported on Monday.
South Korea and the China’s overlapping claims to the Yellow Sea areas are managed as part of a provisional measurement area, or PMZ, intended to prevent conflicts between the two states.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun reiterated on Monday that the structure was for aquaculture.
“The aquaculture facilities created by a PMZ Chinese company does not contravene the agreement between China and Rok,” said Guo, calling South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.
“China has shared relevant information and maintained communication with ROK through channels such as dialogue and maritime affairs cooperation mechanism. We hope that ROK will see it objectively and reasonable,” he said.
A Chinese-South Korean agreement that established the PMZ in 2001 allows fishing ships of the two countries to operate in the area. It prohibits any activity beyond navigation and fishing.
Despite the agreement, China would have installed several major steel structures, including two in April and May from last year, and another this year, which raised concerns in South Korea on potential territorial disputes.
In February, the two countries had a tense maritime impasse while the Chinese authorities blocked Seoul’s attempt to investigate Beijing’s steel structure near Ieo Island, off the southwest coast of South Korea.
Analysts claim that China has used a deliberately progressive strategy in the waters on which it seeks control, including the Southern China Sea – gradually making its territorial claims gradually through low -level actions that avoid pure and simple conflicts but regularly modify the status quo.
This includes the construction of artificial islands on characteristics such as crossed reefs and misdeeds, the deployment of the coastal guard and maritime military ships near the disputed areas such as Scarborough Shoal and Second Thomas Shoal, and the installation of military installations, in particular tracks, missile systems and surveillance radars on recovered lands.
Edited by Mike Firn and Stephen Wright.