Japan protests Chinese drilling in East China Sea

Japan has lodged a formal protest with China, which it accuses of exploring for disputed gas fields in the East China Sea.

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Japan’s Foreign Ministry said Friday, May 20, that it had lodged a complaint with the Chinese embassy in Tokyo, accusing Beijing of building 17 drilling rigs in an area where the two countries’ exclusive economic zones meet. East China Sea. “It is very unfortunate that the Chinese side unilaterally implements development in these waters.”According to the ministry. “The boundaries of the exclusive economic zones and the continental shelf in the East China Sea have not yet been determined.”He remembers.

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Japan considers the line separating the coasts of the two countries to be the boundaries of their respective exclusive economic zones. But China considers the border closer to the coast of Japan, taking into account the continental shelf and other characteristics of the ocean. In 2008, Tokyo and Beijing agreed to jointly exploit gas fields in the disputed areas and suspend unilateral exploration. But negotiations to determine how to implement this agreement stalled after two years and never resumed.