[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Chinese Warships Gather After Typhoon Passes

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Once the Korean Peninsula moves out of the influence of Typhoon No. 8 'Bavi,' Chinese warships are expected to flock to the West Sea. China plans to conduct training in the West Sea until next month, leading to an increase in appearances not only in the provisional measures zone between Korea and China but also near the Korean Peninsula, according to analysis.

According to foreign media on the 27th, the Hainan (海南) Maritime Safety Administration designated the southeastern waters of Hainan Island as a navigation prohibited zone for maritime training from the 24th to the 28th of this month. The Tangshan (唐山) Maritime Safety Administration will also conduct live-fire military training in the Bohai Bay area of the Yellow Sea for over a month, from the 24th of this month to September 30th.

As Chinese military maritime training in the West Sea increases, the entry of warships into the provisional measures zone has also risen. While there were only about 80 instances in 2017, the number surged to around 170 in 2018 and reached approximately 180 last year. The United Nations (UN) enacted the Law of the Sea Convention in 1994 and declared a 200-nautical-mile (1 nautical mile equals 1.852 km) Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). However, since the EEZs of Korea and China overlap in the West Sea, they agreed to defer the application of the EEZ, creating the provisional measures zone. Within this zone, fishing vessels from both countries can operate relatively freely. This ultimately means that the possibility of collisions between Chinese warships and Korean fishing boats cannot be ruled out. Chinese warships have also increased their activities near the Korean Peninsula. While there were only 93 vessels in 2015, the number rose to 118 in 2016 and 115 in 2017. In 2018, it more than doubled to 239 vessels, reaching 250 last year.

The military authorities assess that China’s delay in finalizing the EEZ and stationing naval forces in the provisional measures zone is an attempt to assert effective control. In the past, non-combat naval vessels such as landing ships and minesweepers mainly operated, but recently China has been concentrating destroyers and 7,000-ton Aegis-equipped ships in the provisional measures zone, which carries this implication.

Besides the West Sea, China also designates Ieodo, located 149 km south of Marado Island near Jeju Island, as part of its jurisdictional waters and includes it in its regular patrol targets. Ieodo is within Korea’s jurisdictional waters under any international law provisions, but China calls Ieodo "Suyan Jiao" (蘇巖礁) and claims it belongs to Chinese waters. This indicates simultaneous attempts to encroach on Korean waters. Some view China’s near-simultaneous military exercises in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea amid escalating US-China tensions as targeting the United States and Taiwan.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff internally established response procedures last August as Chinese incursions into jurisdictional waters increased. The Joint Chiefs have stated that if Chinese warships enter the contiguous zone, they will not hesitate to conduct close-range blocking maneuvers. The contiguous zone refers to waters within 12 nautical miles (22.224 km) beyond the territorial sea, which itself extends 12 nautical miles from the baseline. Although it is outside the territorial sea where exclusive sovereignty is exercised, it is a zone where authorities can take various measures such as inspecting vessels to prevent crimes. If Chinese vessels intrude into Korean territorial waters, warning communications, blocking maneuvers, and interference operations to expel them will be carried out.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.