Overview

• China has deployed 13 observation buoys since 2018 in and around the Yellow Sea provisional maritime zone, including three new installations in May 2023 inside disputed waters.
• The buoys range in height from three to nearly ten meters and feature lighthouse-style beacons, solar panels and labels from multiple Chinese state agencies.
• In late May Chinese authorities declared three no-sail zones in the PMZ to conduct military exercises, including an aircraft carrier drill from May 22 to May 27.
• Seoul has installed its own observation buoys in adjacent waters and dispatched naval vessels to monitor Chinese activities and gather intelligence.
• The standoff casts doubt on the 2000 provisional measures agreement for joint resource management and underscores mounting security tensions over overlapping EEZs.