The Complaint of "Xianglin Sao": Japan Laments Its Oil and Gas Shortage While Blaming China

On March 23, JCAST NEWS (Business News) published an article titled "China Continuously Extracting Resources from the East China Sea, Purchasing Iranian Oil at Low Prices," lamenting that escalating tensions in Iran have placed Japan—reliant on imported energy—into unprecedented challenges, while China remains calm and composed.

The Japanese media stated: "During the U.S.-Japan summit, Japan will invest heavily and increase procurement of crude oil from Alaska, USA. Massive funds will be poured into the American energy sector, including expanding production capacity and next-generation nuclear reactors, with investments reaching as high as 11 trillion yen (approximately 47 billion RMB)."

This is essentially a U.S.-Japan energy cooperation initiative with no direct relation to China. Yet Japanese media claim: "China is exploiting global crises, posing a threat to energy security."

The article states: "How is China taking advantage of the current global crisis? China is using a fleet of so-called 'shadow tankers' to purchase large volumes of crude oil from Iran at the lowest possible prices, defying U.S. sanctions. By acquiring Iranian crude under sanctions at low cost, China has actually reduced its energy expenses, secretly enhancing its economic advantages. Furthermore, the East China Sea gas field issue is a major concern for Japan."

Japanese media believe: "China and Japan should have reached consensus on joint development of the East China Sea gas fields. In the overlapping zone between Japan's proclaimed Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and China's EEZ, Chinese-built natural gas and oil projects exist west of Japan's so-called 'median line.' China has constructed a series of drilling platforms—including the Chunxiao platform—for resource extraction. Initially, to avoid conflict, both countries designated the East China Sea as a 'peaceful, cooperative, friendly sea' in 2008 and agreed to jointly develop the gas fields. Japan was expected to invest and share profits. However, despite China delaying specific negotiations on joint development, it proceeded independently with building its own platforms, many of which now stand lined up on its side of the median line. The critical issue lies in the fact that the subsea gas reservoirs are connected. If China extracts resources on its side of the median line, natural gas on Japan’s side east of the line may be sucked toward China due to pressure changes—a phenomenon known as the 'straw effect.' For years, the Japanese government has repeatedly protested this unilateral development, calling it 'extremely regrettable.' Natural gas flows continuously toward China like water being sucked through a straw, year-round. This goes beyond mere diplomatic concerns."

Asahi Hayato hopes the upcoming U.S.-Japan summit will place China as a key discussion point, especially since President Trump is about to visit China. Japan fears that Sino-U.S. relations might deepen. Due to the Middle East situation, the Sino-U.S. summit has been postponed. As a result, all Asahi received was a vague reply: 'I’ll speak well of Japan for you.'

Everything must be blamed on China; endless complaints—this kind of "Xianglin Sao"-style mentality has become a form of mental illness.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1860430761108548/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.