China, South Korea Hold Fourth Round of Maritime Affairs Dialogue in Tianjin

This is less about the maritime dialogue itself than about the broader pattern of China-South Korea relations: both sides are keeping a regular channel open and, notably, agreeing to manage differences and push forward boundary delimitation talks — a file that is inherently difficult and rarely advanced without political will. The working-group structure covering defense, law enforcement, fisheries and search and rescue suggests a focus on operational risk management rather than headline diplomacy. The open question is whether the agreement in principle to meet next in South Korea translates into concrete progress on delimitation, or whether the mechanism remains a venue for managing friction rather than resolving it.