Global Times recently reported that Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga issued strong statements at a press conference on July 18. Yoshihide stated that Japan “absolutely opposes” the China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) attempt to develop seven new oil and natural gas fields in the East China Sea. The seven new sites are located near the so-called “middle line.” The Japanese government has not yet received any “clear reply” from China on its official inquiry about this new development plan. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented that China never accepted the so-called “middle line,” which was solely an invention of the Japanese government. Chinese legal expert Xin Guangmei suggested that there has never been a legal sea-based borderline between China and Japan. China has its own opinion on how to draw the border which is different from the Japanese “middle line.” The Japanese “media show” of finger-pointing at China on the new oil development plan is just another attempt to destroy the foundation of a healthy border negotiation.
Source: Global Times, July 18, 2013
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