S. Korea, China Wrap Up Two-day Talks On Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

South Korea and China on Friday wrapped up two-day working-level talks over the demarcation of maritime boundaries, Seoul's foreign ministry said without announcing any tangible progress.

SEOUL, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Jul, 2018 ) :South Korea and China on Friday wrapped up two-day working-level talks over the demarcation of maritime boundaries, Seoul's foreign ministry said without announcing any tangible progress.

The two delegations, each led by Bae Jong-in, director general of the ministry's international law affairs bureau, and Wang Xiaodu, ambassador for Yellow Sea affairs at China's foreign ministry, held the fourth round of talks in the southeastern city of Gyeongju in Korea.

"In the amicable ambiance, the two sides enhanced the mutual understanding of each country's stance vis-a-vis the various aspects of the maritime demarcation and held in-depth consultations over the direction of future negotiations," the ministry said in a press release.

The two sides also agreed to discuss a concrete schedule for the next vice-ministerial talks on the issue through a diplomatic channel.

Seoul has demanded that the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) be demarcated by drawing a median line. However, Beijing has argued that the coasts and the population along them must be taken into account to conduct a proportional EEZ demarcation.

The EEZ is a sea zone over which a country has special rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources. It stretches out to 200 nautical miles from the coastline.