One Additional Structure Believed to Be for Gas Field Development
The Japanese government has confirmed that China is attempting to install a new structure in the waters west of the Japan-China median line in the East China Sea.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on January 17, Masaki Kanai, Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, lodged a strong protest with Xu Yong, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Chinese Embassy in Japan, regarding this matter.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "It is extremely regrettable that China continues unilateral development and is now attempting to install a new structure in the area, even though the boundary between the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) and continental shelves in the East China Sea has not yet been determined."
The ministry also reported that it had urged China to engage in relevant consultations to implement the existing agreement on resource development in the East China Sea.
According to the Japanese media outlet Yomiuri Shimbun, the ministry believes that the structure is related to gas field development. Once construction is completed, the total number of Chinese structures in the East China Sea will reach 22.
Previously, Japan confirmed that Chinese mobile vessels had been operating near the Japan-China median line in the East China Sea since the end of last year, and issued a navigation warning to Japanese vessels in response.
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