Despite a recent easing in Sino-Japanese relations, China continues exploration and production of oil and gas resources in a disputed area in the East China Sea according to an August 23 report by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, a project under the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
China’s most recent move is to deploy a mobile offshore drilling unit at the northern end of its chain of oil and gas platforms in the maritime area. According to CSIS, those platforms straddle the median line between China’s and Japan’s respective claims.
The observation is based in recent satellite imagery which shows a newly installed jack-up rig, a common type of offshore drilling unit that has been engaged in exploratory drilling at least since June 25. It did not show up in earlier imagery from April 15.
China’s and Japan’s Economic Exclusive Zones (EEZ) in the area overlap and about 40,000 square kilometers of ocean territory is in dispute.
In 1995, China discovered an underwater natural gas field within its EEZ and began extracting it. Japan argued that although the first Chinese rigs were within its territorial waters, the gas field stretches into the disputed area and, therefore, it wanted a share of the resources.
In June 2008, China and Japan agreed to joint explorations in the Chunxiao field, the first in the area to be developed by China. But even so, China and Japan have been at odds over China’s search for oil and gas in an area where sovereignty is contested.
In March 2011, for instance, Japan expressed regret after China’s National Offshore Oil Corporation was producing oil from Chunxiao, known as Shirakaba in Japan. The recent discovery of a new jack-up rig in the area may lead to further disputes.
Cairo and Potsdam declarations delineated Japanese territory limited to its four main islands and some nearby small islands specified by China and its WWII allies. China did not say Japanese can own any space outside their four main islands, who gives the Japanese authority to claim something thousand miles off their four main islands? Did the Japanese pay off the commercial profit oriented Permanent Court of Arbitration again to say Japanese can claim space contravenes to Cairo and Potsdam declarations? If it is so, then the Permanent Court of Arbitration needs to be sanctioned as a rouge entity and stopped from doing further damages to the international law and order.
China’s oil rig is within China’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and OUTSIDE Japan’s EEZ.
UNCLOS states that a country’s EEZ extends 200 miles beyond its continental shelf. China’s continental shelf is approximately 200 miles from its coastline. Thus, according to UNCLOS, China’s EEZ extends 200 miles BEYOND the Chinese continental shelf. In total, China’s EEZ reaches 400 miles beyond its coastline.
In contrast, Japan is merely four little islands without a continental shelf. According to UNCLOS, Japan and other island nations are only entitled to 200 miles of EEZ from their coastline.
When you look at the map, it is clear that the Chinese rig is within 400 miles of the Chinese coastline and NOT within 200 miles of the Japanese coastline.
Article55 of the UNCLOS reads: "The exclusive economic zone is an area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea,…."…Not "a country’s EEZ extends 200 miles beyond its continental shelf. " said here by you. Even if a nation’s continental shelf reaches 1000 nautical miles, I did not find that the UNCLOS will extend the EEZ to wider than 200 nautical mines.
Why are you looking at Article 55? The relevant provision is Article 76 of UNCLOS.
Citation: https://www.bgr.bund.de/EN/Themen/Zusammenarbeit/TechnZusammenarb/UNCLOS/UNCLOS_Article76/UNCLOS_Article76_node_en.html
"According to Article 76, coastal states can – under certain geological conditions – extend their juridical Continental Shelf and thus gain marine sovereignty rights beyond the 200-nautical-mile limit of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Submissions for an extended Continental Shelf need to be filed directly with the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) and must contain detailed marine geoscientific data describing e. g. the shape of the continental margin, the location of the foot of the continental slope and the sediment thickness."
What????!!! China is now using international law and unclos to justify their rights against the japanese?
Self serving isnt it?
But when it comes to little countries inthe south china sea, they impose a 9-line rule which was declared illegal by unclos and completely disregard international laws.
China’s Nine-Dash-Line map was published in 1947. That was over 70 years ago.
UNCLOS was not signed until 1982. UNCLOS lacks any power to retroactively seize Chinese territory in the South China Sea.
UNCLOS explicitly exempts "historical rights" from its jurisdiction.