China removes one of dubious structures in West Sea

SEOUL, February 3 (AJP) - China has completed the removal of a structure installed along the West Sea, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here said on Tuesday.

The completion comes about a week after Beijing began removing it last Tuesday, as a follow-up measure after President Lee Jae Myung discussed the matter during his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing early last month.

But it was just one of a couple of steel structures on the submerged shelf of Ieodo in the West Sea, which overlaps with maritime zones of both South Korea and China.

China previously installed one structure in 2018 and another in 2024 in a dubious claim of deep-sea salmon farming, with an additional structure in 2022 that resembles an oil-drilling rig, raising concerns here that the facilities could be used for military purposes.

"We will continue to make progress through constructive consultations with the Chinese side," the ministry said.