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Korea-China Maritime Meeting Held for the First Time in 5 Years

  • Date

    2024.09.30.

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Korea-China Maritime Meeting Held for the First Time in 5 Years
 
- Reaffirmation of principle of orderly opening of Korea-China shipping routes
- Improvement of criteria for applying the age of ferry ships to stabilize routes

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) announced that the 27th Korea-China Maritime Meeting was held in Qingdao, China from Wednesday, September 11 to Thursday, September 12. The meeting reaffirmed the principle of orderly opening of Korea-China shipping routes and improved the criteria for applying the age of ferry ships to enhance the routes' stability.

This Maritime Meeting was attended by Director General Lee Si-won of the Maritime Logistics Bureau of the MOF and Deputy Director General Lee Gye-yong of the Water Transport Bureau of the Chinese Ministry of Transport as chief representatives.
Korea and China have held a maritime meeting each year since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1993 to discuss pending issues raised by both countries regarding the stable maintenance and management of shipping routes. However, the Meeting has been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic since the 26th Meeting was held in Seoul in 2019. It was held in Qingdao, China after five years.

At the Maritime Meeting, delegations from both countries focused their discussion on ways to open Korea-China maritime routes as agreed upon at the 26th Meeting. 
The two countries reaffirmed their mutual commitment to the principles of promoting openness as a key agreement from the 26th Maritime Meeting. They also agreed that China's new route application should be promptly reviewed and proceeded with in accordance with the relevant procedures.
Regarding the detailed criteria submitted by the Yellow Sea Regular Liners Committee of both countries to derive criteria for opening existing routes, both countries shared the view that objectivity and scientific nature are necessary for deriving detailed criteria and agreed that the Committee in each country will conduct additional research and report the results to each government by March next year.

Moreover, they confirmed each other's positions with regard to the situation wherein some Korea-China ferry routes such as the Pyeongtaek-Yeongseong route have not yet been normalized since the passenger transport between the two countries was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and agreed to continue efforts to resume passenger transport.

Additionally, both countries acknowledged the challenges faced by shipping companies in securing suitable second-hand vessels when the operational age limit for ferry vessels (30 years) is reached due to the need for appropriate ships. They also recognized the necessity of ensuring stable route operations and agreed to improve the age limit for replacement vessels, extending it from the previous 10 years to 15 years.

According to Director General Lee Si-won of the Maritime Logistics Bureau at MOF, this Maritime Meeting—held for the first time in five years after the COVID-19 pandemic—was a valuable opportunity to reaffirm the cooperation and trust between Korea and China and to strengthen the scope of maritime cooperation further. "The Korean government will continue to do its best to ensure the stable operation and development of Korea-China maritime routes," he added.
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