BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- China and Japan, through
consultations on an equal footing, reached principled consensus on the East
China Sea issue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu made the
announcement here Wednesday.
The announcement included the following three parts:
I. Cooperation Between China and Japan in the East
China Sea
In order to make the East China Sea, of which the
delimitation between China and Japan is yet to be made, a "sea of peace,
cooperation and friendship", China and Japan have, in keeping with the common
understanding reached by leaders of the two countries in April 2007 and their
new common understanding reached in December 2007, agreed through serious
consultations that the two sides will conduct cooperation in the transitional
period prior to delimitation without prejudicing their respective legal
positions. The two sides have taken the first step to this end and will continue
to conduct consultations in the future.
II. Understanding Between China and Japan on Joint
Development of the East China Sea
As the first step in the joint development of the
East China Sea between China and Japan, the two sides will work on the
following:
(a) The block for joint development shall be the area
that is bounded by straight lines joining the following points in the order
listed:
1. Latitude 29o31' North, longitude 125o53'30" East
2. Latitude 29o49' North, longitude 125o53'30" East
3. Latitude 30o04' North, longitude 126o03'45" East
4. Latitude 30o00' North, longitude 126o10'23" East
5. Latitude 30o00' North, longitude 126o20'00" East
6. Latitude 29o55' North, longitude 126o26'00" East
7. Latitude 29o31' North, longitude 126o26'00" East
(Eds: The letter "o" in the above location points
should be converted to the superscript of a small circle, the symbol of degree.)
(b) The two sides will, through joint exploration,
select by mutual agreement areas for joint development in the above-mentioned
block under the principle of mutual benefit. Specific matters will be decided by
the two sides through consultations.
(c) To carry out the above-mentioned joint
development, the two sides will work to fulfill their respective domestic
procedures and arrive at the necessary bilateral agreement at an early date.
(d) The two sides have agreed to continue
consultations for the early realization of joint development in other parts of
the East China Sea.
III. Understanding on the Participation of Japanese
Legal Person In the Development of Chunxiao Oil and Gas Field In Accordance with
Chinese Laws
Chinese enterprises welcome the participation of
Japanese legal person in the development of the existing oil and gas field in
Chunxiao in accordance with the relevant laws of China governing cooperation
with foreign enterprises in the exploration and exploitation of offshore
petroleum resources.
The governments of China and Japan have confirmed
this, and will work to reach agreement on the exchange of notes as necessary and
exchange them at an early date. The two sides will fulfill their respective
domestic procedures as required.
Expert: Agreement on East China Sea
development "flexible and pragmatic"
BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese expert said
Wednesday that the joint development understanding reached by China and Japan
over the East China Sea is "flexible" and "pragmatic", serving the interests of
both sides.
"The agreement is flexible and pragmatic and without
prejudicing their respective legal positions," Liu Nanlai, an expert with the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on international law, said in a story
published on website of the Global Times. Full story
Japanese FM: Japan, China reach
agreement on East China Sea
TOKYO, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Japan and China have reached a
political agreement on the East China Sea issue, Japanese Foreign Minister
Masahiko Komura said Wednesday.
It is a mutually beneficial agreement that will serve the
interests of both sides, Komura said at a news conference. Full story
China, Japan take first step towards
joint development in East China Sea
BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- China and Japan agreed to
"march the first step in joint development" in the chosen area of the East China
Sea, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu on Wednesday.
Through serious consultation, she said, China and Japan
had reached an agreement to conduct cooperation in the transitional period
before the delimitation of the relevant waters without prejudicing their
respective legal positions. Full story
Expert: A win-win deal for China,
Japan on East China Sea dispute
BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The joint development understanding
reached by China and Japan over the East China Sea was a mutually beneficial and
win-win deal, said Liu Nanlai, research fellow with the law institute of the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, on Wednesday.
"The deal eases the disputes and stabilizes the situation over
the East China Sea, turning conflict into cooperation, challenges into
opportunities, and furthering bilateral relations," said Liu in a story
published on a website run by the Global Times. Full
story
