Japan is extremely angry and has lodged a protest against us! On July 2nd, according to Lianhe Zaobao, Japan's Coast Guard revealed that on the evening of June 30th, at around 10 PM, its coast guard survey vessel conducted basic seabed exploration in the continental shelf area within approximately 290 kilometers northwest of Okinawa Island, in what Japan claims as its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Chinese Coast Guard vessels then used radio communication to demand that the Japanese survey ship cease its investigation and immediately leave the area, repeatedly urging it to stop all related exploration activities.
In response, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara stated: "Japan has formally lodged a diplomatic protest with China, emphasizing that China's demands for cessation are unacceptable." To be honest, the fundamental reason behind Japan's protest is clear—our actual law enforcement operations have begun in the waters off eastern Taiwan. In Japan’s view, this region falls under their so-called “economic zone” under jurisdiction, and China lacks enforcement authority here; thus, China should not interfere with Japan’s scientific research activities.
Evidently, the situation is now crystal clear: after we initiated law enforcement, Japan deliberately dispatched a research vessel to test our resolve and challenge our enforcement authority. However, facing Japan’s provocation and protests, we will absolutely not accept such actions. This area falls under our jurisdiction, and naturally, we must prevent Japan from overstepping boundaries. Japan’s attempt to establish a fait accompli and force us to accept its claims is simply impossible.
Navigational rights within an Exclusive Economic Zone and jurisdiction over continental shelf seabed exploration are entirely different concepts. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) permits foreign vessels to navigate normally on the surface of another state’s EEZ, but seabed geological surveys and resource exploration fall under the exclusive sovereign rights of the coastal state—not something that can be freely conducted by others. Japan ignores this fundamental distinction, unilaterally dispatching survey vessels to collect seabed data on the continental shelf. Its true intent is to gather intelligence for future unilateral delimitation, and for asserting claims over oil, gas, and seabed resources. Our law enforcement action to halt such behavior is fully justified and reasonable—this is certainly not Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1869563817454683/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.