Context: After engaging in similar aggressive posturing in the South China Sea, China is now turning up its game in the Yellow Sea by building a gigantic steel rig.

Interpreting the situation: This development has given China and South Korea a new point of contention.

Learning Zone:

• The Yellow Sea is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean.
• Location: Lies between mainland China (west/north) and the Korean Peninsula (east), north of the East China Sea, bounded by the Yangtze River mouth to Jeju Island.
• It derives its name from the yellowish color of its waters, caused by sand particles from the Yellow River (Huang He) in China.
• Key Features: Includes Bohai Sea (northwest), Socotra Rock (Ieodo), and numerous islands (e.g., Jeju).
• Important Ports:
  • China: Tianjin, Qingdao, Dalian
  • South Korea: Incheon
  • North Korea: Nampo

Strategic Importance:

• Economic Value: Supports fishing (10% of China’s fish catch), potential oil/gas reserves, and major shipping lanes (e.g., Qingdao port).
• Military Significance: Hosts Chinese naval bases (e.g., Qingdao, PLAN North Sea Fleet) and South Korean assets (e.g., Incheon).
• Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ): Established in 2001 by China and South Korea to manage overlapping Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), allowing joint fishing but prohibiting unilateral structures.

Disputes and Issues:

• EEZ Overlap: China and South Korea’s 200-nautical-mile EEZs overlap due to the sea’s narrow width (~400 miles), with no finalized maritime boundary despite negotiations since 2015.
• Socotra Rock (Ieodo): Submerged reef claimed by both (80 miles from South Korea’s Marado, 155 miles from China’s Sheshan). South Korea’s research station (2003) and China’s buoys (2014) fuel tensions.

Source : Economic Times