Japan vows action against China if oil line in disputed zone confirmed; Gas row escalates
:::- ARAB TIMES -:::
TOKYO (AP): Japan’s trade minister warned Friday that Tokyo would take “bold action” if it confirms that China is building a pipeline in disputed gas exploration sites in the East China Sea. Trade Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said that Japan has detected a Chinese vessel carrying a massive load of pipes headed for the region, and Beijing has not responded to its requests for an explanation. “The number of pipes was obviously too many to just dig down. Then what are they for? I can assume the reason, but I’d rather not speak out,” Nakagawa said, hinting at a possible pipeline construction. “We must always watch very closely.” Nakagawa said he learned from “reliable sources” and also saw a video showing the ship heading for the Tianwaitian and Chunxiao fields “carrying huge heap of pipes” – enough to build pipeline to mainland China.
Nakagawa said China is believed to be bringing undersea oil from the two gas fields to Shanghai through pipelines and natural gas to Ningbo in Zhejian province. The two countries have been feuding over claims to undersea gas deposits in the area and the delineation of their exclusive economic zones. The row is part of the broader troubled relations between the two sides.
Protest
Last month, Japan lodged a protest against China after Tokyo said it had confirmed Beijing was extracting natural gas from the Tianwaitian oil field. Japan worries the oil reserves might be sucked dry. China said it was within its rights to continue new gas drilling in the area. In the latest round of negotiations last month in Tokyo, Japan urged China to stop developing the disputed gas fields and called for joint exploitation of natural resources in the area. Beijing said it would respond to Japan’s proposals at a meeting set for mid-October. Japan granted Teikoku Oil Co drilling rights earlier this year, drawing a formal protest from Beijing, which called the move a severe provocation. Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which both Japan and China have signed, coastal countries can claim an economic zone extending 370 kilometers (230 miles) from their shores. The disputed reserves lie within both countries’ claims, and the United Nations has until May 2009 to rule in the matter. The battle over undersea natural resources has worsened relations already soured in recent months from disputes over Japanese history textbooks and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s visits to a Tokyo war shrine that evokes memories of Japan’s militarist past.
TOKYO (AP): Japan’s trade minister warned Friday that Tokyo would take “bold action” if it confirms that China is building a pipeline in disputed gas exploration sites in the East China Sea. Trade Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said that Japan has detected a Chinese vessel carrying a massive load of pipes headed for the region, and Beijing has not responded to its requests for an explanation. “The number of pipes was obviously too many to just dig down. Then what are they for? I can assume the reason, but I’d rather not speak out,” Nakagawa said, hinting at a possible pipeline construction. “We must always watch very closely.” Nakagawa said he learned from “reliable sources” and also saw a video showing the ship heading for the Tianwaitian and Chunxiao fields “carrying huge heap of pipes” – enough to build pipeline to mainland China.
Nakagawa said China is believed to be bringing undersea oil from the two gas fields to Shanghai through pipelines and natural gas to Ningbo in Zhejian province. The two countries have been feuding over claims to undersea gas deposits in the area and the delineation of their exclusive economic zones. The row is part of the broader troubled relations between the two sides.
Protest
Last month, Japan lodged a protest against China after Tokyo said it had confirmed Beijing was extracting natural gas from the Tianwaitian oil field. Japan worries the oil reserves might be sucked dry. China said it was within its rights to continue new gas drilling in the area. In the latest round of negotiations last month in Tokyo, Japan urged China to stop developing the disputed gas fields and called for joint exploitation of natural resources in the area. Beijing said it would respond to Japan’s proposals at a meeting set for mid-October. Japan granted Teikoku Oil Co drilling rights earlier this year, drawing a formal protest from Beijing, which called the move a severe provocation. Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which both Japan and China have signed, coastal countries can claim an economic zone extending 370 kilometers (230 miles) from their shores. The disputed reserves lie within both countries’ claims, and the United Nations has until May 2009 to rule in the matter. The battle over undersea natural resources has worsened relations already soured in recent months from disputes over Japanese history textbooks and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s visits to a Tokyo war shrine that evokes memories of Japan’s militarist past.
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