Posted on 30 May 2025
China's installation of steel structures in the overlapping sea zone with South Korea raises a question about whether it is seeking to turn the area into another South China Sea, a former U.S. ambassador to Seoul said Thursday.
Harry Harris, a former commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, made the remark, denouncing Beijing for its recent actions in the Provisional Maritime Zone (PMZ), an area in the Yellow Sea where the exclusive economic zones of South Korea and China overlap.
China has built three steel towers in the PMZ over the past several years, claiming that they are fish farms and a management facility, sparking concerns in South Korea over its unilateral actions despite a bilateral agreement on the PMZ signed by the two countries to ensure maritime stability.
"China turns its attention to the West Sea to encroach into the PMZ, disregarding the 2001 agreement between Beijing and Seoul," Harris said during a session of the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, referring to the Yellow Sea as the West Sea.
"Washington-based website 1945 rightly asks, 'If we are seeing South China Sea 2.0,'" he said, quoting an article from the publication.
Harris' remarks appear to suggest that China's true intention behind the tower installations is to lay the groundwork for territorial claims to the waters — similar to what it has done by building artificial islands in the South China Sea, where it has ongoing disputes with neighboring countries.
Given this situation, Harris said diplomacy and maritime cooperation have become more vital than ever.
On North Korea, Harris said the recent developments in inter-Korean ties, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un having severed all ties with the South and labeled it an enemy state, speaks to the view that the regime will not give up its nuclear weapons.
"Why am I not surprised? None of this sounds to me like he's trying to get rid of his nuclear ambitions anytime soon. In fact, he's telling us precisely the opposite by his declarations and actions," Harris said.
While he still hopes for diplomacy to work out with the North, Harris said hope alone cannot be an effective course of action when dealing with Pyongyang.
"The quest for dialogue with the North must never be made at the expense of the ability to respond to threats. Dialogue with military readiness must go hand in hand," he said.
Source:Korea JoongAng Daily
