Japan and China fight over Seabed Property

TOKYO - Current explorations of an offshore gas field in the East China Sea by both China and Japan have recently strained relations between the two powerful nations. While Japan is concerned that Chinese drilling could siphon off natural gas from Japan's territorial seabed, Beijing considers Tokyo's claim as infringing on its interests and sovereignty. China appears to believe that Tokyo feels threatened by China's enormous economic development and is trying to contain it, at least in the East China Sea.

Legally, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea allows coastal countries to regulate catch and seabed resources in an economic zone extending 200 nautical miles, or 370 kilometers, from their shores. But Beijing and Tokyo, both of which signed the convention in 1996, have not agreed on where their sea border lies. The UN says it will decide on global offshore territorial claims by May 2009. In February 2001, Japan and China only agreed to give each other two months' prior notification with regard to maritime scientific research activities in waters around the two countries. Read full article in Asia Times Online (Jul. 27, 2004)

Here is an interesting article on the history of the LOS.