China’s build-up of Yellow Sea facilities expected to fuel South Korean suspicions
Report notes increasing number of buoys with possible military uses in waters both sides claim as part of their exclusive economic zones
According to a report published on Monday by the website Beyond Parallel – a project operated by the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies – there has been “growing” Chinese activity in and around the Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ) in the Yellow Sea.
It said Beijing was building buoys in the area and could not rule out the possibility that they could have military uses.
Both South Korea and China have overlapping claims relating to their exclusive economic zones in the PMZ.
Under a 2001 deal, the two sides agreed to allow their respective fishing vessels to operate in the area and jointly manage marine resources while banning any activities beyond navigation and fishing.
The report said the Chinese buoys had a lighthouse-style design with a circular floating base, central vertical tower and an upper platform, and appeared to be consistent with a standardised 10-metre (33-foot) ocean environmental monitoring buoy.