Japan protests Chinese survey ship operating near Okinotorishima atoll, a small but vital piece in Tokyo’s maritime territory claims
- The Chinese ship may have been seeking information on natural deposits, such as oil and gas, but it may also have had a military mission
Japan has lodged an official protest with Beijing after a Chinese government survey ship was identified operating in Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around Okinotorishima, an atoll some 1,740km south of Tokyo that is the most southerly point of Japan.
The protest may fall on deaf ears, however, as Beijing has in the past carried out similar surveys and insisted Okinotorishima is merely a few rocks that would not be above the waves without reinforcement. Beijing has maintained Okinotorishima is not able to sustain human life and cannot be recognised as an island. And if it is not an island, Tokyo cannot lay claim to the surrounding 400,000 sq km of the Pacific as part of its EEZ.
The Chinese vessel was seen in the EEZ around the island on December 18, government officials said. Under the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea, conducting a maritime survey in another nation’s EEZ requires the agreement of that country in advance and Tokyo has said no permission was granted.
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“The vessel was carrying out marine scientific research activities in the waters near Okinawa,” said China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lu Hao at his regular press conference on January 2.
He emphasised that China is party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and carries out its marine scientific research activities in accordance with the convention.
Lu added that under the UNCLOS definitions, Okinawa Reef does not constitute an island, so the ship was not in any exclusive economic zone.
“The Japanese side arbitrarily called it an island ... which the Chinese side never recognised,” he said.
