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September 18, 2010

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China-Japan sea tussle refocuses on gas rights

China said yesterday it had the right to do what it wants in gas fields in the East China Sea where Japan has challenged Chinese drilling.

Japanese media quoted outgoing Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada as saying equipment which appears to be for drilling has been brought to a Chinese facility in the Chunxiao gas field in the sea, though drilling has not been confirmed.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said China exercises full sovereign rights over the gas field, and the Chinese side's activities in Chunxiao are entirely reasonable and legitimate.

Jiang added that China had "sent a maritime monitoring vessel to strengthen law enforcement activities in our related seas and to protect China's maritime rights and interests."

"Relevant Chinese departments have also sent fishery administration ships to China's territorial waters concerned to provide protection to Chinese fishermen," Jiang said.

Japan has arrested the captain of a Chinese fishing boat seized after it collided with Japan Coast Guard ships near Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea on September 7.

China has repeatedly demanded that Japan free captain Zhan Qixiong, whose 14 crew members were released on Monday.

Last week, China cancelled planned talks over the East China Sea issue.

Tokyo objects to Chinese development of the Chunxiao gas field in seas close to Japan's self-claimed boundary in the East China Sea.

China disputes that boundary claim.

Disputes have arisen over China's development of four gas fields, including the Chunxiao field, in the Xihu trough in the East China Sea, a seabed depression parallel to the Chinese coast, about 500 kilometers southeast of Shanghai.

Japan says the median line between the two countries' coasts should mark the boundary between their exclusive economic zones.

China says the boundary is defined by its continental shelf, extending its zone beyond the median line.



 

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