China has installed a large fixed platform in the Yellow Sea’s Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ), a neutral area where permanent structures and non-fishing activities are prohibited, South Korean officials confirmed on April 20.
Originally built in France in 1982 as an oil drilling rig and decommissioned in 2016, the platform was later purchased and modified by China. It now features a helipad, three steel bridges, and accommodations for up to 100 people. A second Chinese structure, the semi-submersible Shenlan-2 platform, is just 3 kilometers away.
Beijing claims the new platform is a “fish farm support facility.” However, satellite imagery and expert analysis suggest it functions more as a mini artificial island, raising concerns over its true purpose.
Experts have called the installation illegal, describing it as a de facto territorial expansion. Since President Xi Jinping’s 2013 pledge to make China a “maritime power,” the country has steadily increased its presence in disputed waters. Analysts view the platform, which includes surveillance systems, as a strategic outpost aimed at asserting control in the region and potentially influencing the undefined maritime boundary between South Korea and China.
Tensions escalated this year in February when South Korea attempted an inspection. The attempt was met with armed Chinese personnel dispatched by boat, leading to a two-hour standoff and heightening regional security concerns.
The move recalls China’s 2014 deployment of an oil rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, which sparked a diplomatic crisis. Experts warn that China’s growing use of fixed and semi-permanent maritime structures to stake territorial claims could further destabilize the Yellow Sea and raise the risk of future conflicts.