Tokyo has lodged a protest through diplomatic channels against China's alleged test drilling for natural resources near the median line in the East China Sea that separates the two countries' exclusive economic zones, local media reported Thursday, citing Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th February, 2019) Tokyo has lodged a protest through diplomatic channels against China's alleged test drilling for natural resources near the median line in the East China Sea that separates the two countries' exclusive economic zones, local media reported Thursday, citing Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.
Tokyo and Beijing agreed in 2008 to jointly develop gas fields in the area, but the respective deal has yet to be signed. Japan says that China is unilaterally test drilling in the region as well as building facilities near the median line.
According to Suga, the Japanese government found that a Chinese ship had been involved in drilling in late January on the Chinese side of the line, the NHK World broadcaster reported.
The official expressed regret over China's unilateral activities, adding that the two countries still needed to establish a maritime boundary in the East China Sea.
The Chinese authorities have repeatedly dismissed Tokyo's criticism of Beijing conducting natural resource exploration in the region, stressing that the drilling was carried out on the Chinese side of the East China Sea.
