Japan Protests China Drilling
Japan Protests as China Moves Drilling Rigs in Disputed East China Sea
Tokyo, August 26 – Japan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed late Monday that China is setting up drilling rigs in a contested area of the East China Sea, where the two countries’ exclusive economic zones (EEZs) overlap. Tokyo has formally complained to the Chinese embassy.
“Regrettably, China is advancing unilateral development,” the ministry said, adding that the activity is taking place on the Chinese side of the de facto maritime border.
Japan says it has identified 21 suspected drilling rigs and fears that gas from its side of the border could also be extracted. In response, Tokyo “issued a strong protest” and urged China to resume talks on a 2008 bilateral agreement for joint development of undersea gas reserves in the disputed area. That agreement prohibits either side from drilling independently, but negotiations on how to implement it have been stalled since 2010.
Japan maintains that the median line between the two nations should define the EEZ boundary, while China argues the border should be drawn closer to Japan, citing the continental shelf and other ocean features.
The two countries are also at odds over a separate dispute involving a string of islands in the East China Sea. Known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China, these islands are regularly patrolled by Chinese ships and aircraft, testing Tokyo’s response.
China has similar territorial disputes with several other countries in the South China Sea, which it claims almost entirely.
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