China Relocates Management Platform from West Sea PMZ

China began relocating a management platform from the Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ) in the West Sea between January 27 and January 30, 2026. The PMZ is a region of overlapping exclusive economic zone claims between South Korea and China. While the platform is being moved, two steel aquaculture structures, Shenlan 1 and Shenlan 2, will remain in the zone.

Lee Jae Myung, the President of South Korea, first indicated on January 7 that China intended to withdraw the facility. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea described the relocation as meaningful progress resulting from constructive consultations and the government's consistent opposition to unilateral installations in the area.

Contrastingly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China denied government involvement in the decision. Chinese officials characterized the move as an autonomous adjustment by a Chinese company based on its own operational requirements.