Post 35 - 2005.07.14
Japan Losing Patience with a Confrontational China in the East China Sea In Laguna Research Partners' 2005.04.14 "Crisis
on the China Rim..." (CCR) analysis, we described competing claims by China
and Japan
to energy reserves lying under the East China Sea. Here's our discussion from page
52 of CCR:
"...according to the United Nations Convention on the Law
of the Sea, crafted in 1982, coastal nations can claim an Exclusive Economic Zone
(EEZ) extending 370 kilometers from their shores ...the east-to-west distance
across the East China Sea between China and Japan, though, is approximately 650
kilometers ...half of that cross-Sea distance is 325 kilometers, 45 kilometers less
than the EEZ allowed by international law ...accepting this geographic reality, Japan
claims an East China Sea EEZ boundary that is midway between its own and China’s East
China Sea shores ...this produces an EEZ boundary that is roughly 325
kilometers from the East China Sea shores of both China and Japan ...China,
though, claims an East China Sea EEZ that is comprised of its 185-kilometer underwater
continental shelf, plus the 370-kilometer Zone allowed by international law ...this
produces a Chinese East China Sea EEZ extending a total of 555 kilometers from Chinese
shores ...this claim puts the eastern edge of China’s East China Sea EEZ
claim just 93 kilometers off of the west coast of Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture"
Our China and the China Rim map provides a visual representation of these
competing EEZ claims.
The confrontation between China and Japan over
East China Sea resource rights has been simmering for years.
China and Japan have held talks regarding the possible
joint development of resources under the East China Sea, but those talks have proved
fruitless.
China began drilling for crude oil in the East China Sea
in 2003 in an area that both countries agree is in Chinese waters. Japan suspects,
however, that Chinese platforms situated on the border of the Japanese claim are
"slant drilling" and drawing natural gas from Japan's claimed EEZ.
To date, Japan has delayed drilling in the East China Sea
while the two sides have tried to resolve their competing claims via negotiation.
Japan's patience in this regard, though, appears
to have reached its limit.
The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry awarded to Teikoku Oil Co. today the right to
explore and drill for energy reserves in the East China Sea within the Japanese EEZ claim,
but near Chinese drilling platforms.
Teikoku asked for those rights in 2004.04 when the
Japanese government first indicated that it would change its East China Sea test drilling
policy.
Importantly, Teikoku is unlikely to commence drilling
immediately. The company must first consult with various Japanese government
agencies regarding issues such as worker safety.
China's reaction to Japan's move towards acting
on its "equidistant" EEZ border claim has been predictably confrontational.
Liu Jianchao, spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is quoted
by the BBC as stating, "If Japan
persists in granting drilling rights to companies in disputed waters it will cause a
serious infringement of China's sovereign right."
Posted by:
Kevin B. Skislock
Partner and CEO
Laguna Research Partners
[bio] [disclaimer]
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