China's deep-sea aquaculture installations in the Yellow Sea comply with the law and do not violate the fisheries agreement with South Korea, the Chinese embassy in Seoul said on March 26.
Responding to recent concerns raised by South Korean media and various parties that China has been installing "unauthorized" steel structures in an overlapping maritime zone with South Korea, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Seoul said that the allegations do not align with the facts.
"The fact is that the facilities in question are deep-sea aquaculture installations located in China's offshore waters, which is reasonable utilization of near-shore marine resources," the spokesperson said in a statement.
China's actions are fully consistent with both domestic and international law, the spokesperson said, adding that they also do not violate the China-South Korea fisheries agreement, and will not affect South Korea's rights under the agreement.
In addition, China has implemented strict environmental protection and safety measures for the deep-sea aquaculture facilities to ensure that they will have no impact on the marine environment and navigational safety.
Noting that China has already announced the installation of the facilities publicly, the spokesperson, citing the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said the situation in the Yellow Sea is stable at the moment, and China and South Korea maintain sound communication through the dialogue and cooperation mechanism of maritime affairs.
"I would like to emphasize that China and South Korea have been maintaining communication through diplomatic channels," the embassy spokesperson said.
The embassy said it hopes that both sides will continue to strengthen communication, enhance mutual understanding, and avoid politicizing the issue, in order to make the Yellow Sea a sea of peace, friendship, and cooperation.
kelly@chinadailyapac.com
