A drone photo taken on Sept. 1, 2026 shows a fishing boat sailing out of a fishing port in Qingdao, East China"s Shandong Province. The new fishing season in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea kicked off on Tuesday after a four-month summer fishing moratorium. Photo: Xinhua

　　China and South Korea have reportedly resumed joint patrols in the provisional measures zone in the Yellow Sea after a four-year hiatus, with the move showing improved mutual trust and helping promote legal fishing and maritime cooperation, a Chinese expert said.

　　South Korea"s Embassy in China said that China and South Korea have been conducting joint patrols starting October 8 to crack down on illegal fishing and other violations in the relevant areas. The patrols, which will continue until October 17, mark the resumption of joint operations after a four-year suspension since 2022, Yonhap News reported on Monday.

　　During the patrols, fisheries guidance and law enforcement officials from the two countries will board each other"s vessels to exchange law enforcement methods and experience, while strengthening on-site coordination, according to the report.

　　"Restarting joint law enforcement after four years, with law enforcement personnel from the two sides boarding each other"s vessels, is an uncommon practice and reflects to some extent the level of mutual trust between China and South Korea," Lü Chao, a research fellow at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

　　The cooperation is beneficial to promoting legal fishing activities in the Yellow Sea, Lü said, noting that establishing joint law enforcement is "not an easy achievement" and represents a positive development after relations between the two countries improved.