Japan has lodged a protest with China about Beijing's mobile drilling rigs in the East China Sea, according to media reports.
The rigs are placed in waters on the Chinese side of the median line between China and Japan, Kyodo News reported, citing the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.
The rigs are thought to be for exploratory drilling for a new gas field, the report said.
The protest was lodged through diplomatic channels last Friday.
There was no immediate reaction from China about the move.
Japan and China agreed in 2008 on joint gas development in the area, but negotiations were suspended in 2010 when tensions increased following a Chinese trawler’s collision with a Japan Coast Guard vessel.
Separately, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning urged Japan to “immediately make clear its position on the issue of nuclear weapons, observe the obligations of the the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and the three non-nuclear principles” during a news conference in Beijing, in regards to a report by organizations in China titled, "Nuclear Ambitions of Japan’s Right-Wing Forces: A Serious Threat to World Peace."
Tensions between China and Japan escalated in November, when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could legally constitute a “survival-threatening situation,” potentially allowing Japan to exercise the right of collective self-defense.
The remarks prompted strong backlash from Beijing, which advised its nationals against travel to Japan, and reinstated a ban on Japanese seafood imports, among other restrictive measures.
China on Wednesday again urged Tokyo to retract Takaichi’s comments and “correct its wrongdoing,” according to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.
By Saadet Gokce
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr
