Seoul: South Korea and China are planning to engage in working-level discussions regarding maritime issues later this month, diplomatic sources disclosed on Monday. This initiative follows a recent standoff in the Yellow Sea, as Seoul seeks to emphasize the importance of stability in the region.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the two nations are currently finalizing arrangements for a director-general-level dialogue in Seoul, which will be led by their respective foreign ministries. This forthcoming dialogue would mark the first formal talks since the February standoff, during which Chinese authorities obstructed the South Korean Coast Guard from approaching a steel structure erected by China in the Provisional Maritime Zone (PMZ) near South Korea's southwest coast.

The South Korean government had dispatched a research vessel to investigate the unauthorized Chinese structure, which Beijing claimed was a commercial aquafarm. China asserted that Seoul had no jurisdiction to conduct such investigations. The PMZ, where the Exclusive Economic Zones of South Korea and China intersect, has been a point of contention despite an agreement allowing both nations' fishing vessels to operate there and jointly manage marine resources, while restricting activities beyond navigation and fishing.

In the anticipated talks, South Korea is expected to assert its stance that no Chinese activities in the overlapping waters should undermine its maritime rights. The discovery of Chinese installations in the area, dating back to 2018 and 2024, has led South Korea to adopt a more assertive approach in addressing these concerns.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul raised the issue during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Tokyo last month, wherein Wang emphasized the need for ongoing communication grounded in mutual respect for maritime rights. The bilateral maritime dialogue between Seoul and Beijing was initiated in December 2019, with previous discussions occurring in April and June of 2021.