中韩将启动海域划界谈判

China and South Korea will hold a fresh round of talks on the delimitation of sea boundaries. The talks are expected to uphold maritime stability, as well as promote cooperation.

In international practice, there are mainly three ways of maritime demarcation. The territorial waters, EEZ (exclusive economic zone) and the continental shelf.

According to international law, China and South Korea have no territorial disputes. From what we know, this talks may involve part of China’s East Sea. But it will be mainly about the EEZ and continental shelf. Other issues may also be discussed, such as resource development and marine scientific research.

So these talks are likely to involve both demarcation and cooperation. There are now nearly 200 maritime demarcations globally; 90 percent are the result of bilateral talks--a common practice. Normally talks like these may last for years. In this case, it reflects the fact that China and South Korea choose to solve disputes based on international common practice.