The third meeting of the China-South Korea dialogue and cooperation mechanism of maritime affairs is held in Seoul on April 23, 2025. Photo: website of Chinese Foreign Ministry

Chinese Foreign Ministry stated on Thursday that what China set up in the provisional measures zone (PMZ) are the aquaculture facilities, and China's relevant activities are consistent with China's domestic law and international law. They do not contravene China-South Korea Fishery Agreement and have nothing to do with maritime delimitation.   

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks at a regular press briefing in response to a query that the South Korea government expressed concerns about the Chinese fishing structure in the Yellow Sea. 

China is ready to continue to strengthen dialogue and communication with South Korea to properly handle relevant issues, said the spokesperson.

Guo's remarks also came after the two countries conducted a maritime dialogue in Seoul on Wednesday.

During the third meeting of the China-South Korea dialogue and cooperation mechanism of maritime affairs, the two sides held plenary sessions and working group meetings on maritime order and practical cooperation, engaging in comprehensive and in-depth exchanges of views on bilateral maritime affairs in a friendly and pragmatic atmosphere, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a release on Thursday.  

The two sides agreed to continue strengthening communication, properly manage maritime differences, advance maritime delimitation negotiations, and enhance cooperation in marine scientific research, environmental protection, search and rescue, fisheries, law enforcement, maritime and aviation security, as well as cooperation within multilateral frameworks. The two sides aim to enhance mutual trust and work together to make the Yellow Sea a sea of peace, friendship, and cooperation, further advancing the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership.  

China and South Korea also exchanged views on fishery aquaculture issues in the southern Yellow Sea, the ministry said in the release.

The Yonhap News Agency claimed on Thursday that China has constructed a set of steel structures in the Provisional Maritime Zone (PMZ) near Suyan Islet. 

Director-General for Northeast Asian Affairs Kang Young-shin, who represented South Korea during the regular maritime talks in Seoul on Wednesday, conveyed South Korean government's concern and stressed the stance that its legitimate maritime rights should not be violated, South Korea's foreign ministry said, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The session also established two subcommittees under the dialogue: a "maritime order" subcommittee tasked with addressing contentious issues, such as the controversial structures or poaching, and another focused on joint maritime cooperation, including maritime search, said the report. 

The two sides agreed to hold the following session in China at a mutually convenient time, it said. 

The Chinese Foreign Ministry previously said that Suyan islet is located in the northern part of the East China Sea under the sea level, over which China and South Korea have no territorial disputes. The islet is located in an area over which both countries have overlapping exclusive economic zone claims, the ministry said in 2006. 

In such a context, the right way to settle the issue should be maritime consultation and negotiation, rather than inciting public sentiment or provoking confrontation, Lü Chao, an expert on the Korean Peninsula issue at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Any hype on the issue is not conducive to the South Korea, especially after hit by the economic shock from US tariff policies, it has become even more critical for South Korea to strengthen cooperation with China and improve bilateral relations, the expert said.