On the China-Japan dispute on the oil and gas resources in the East China Sea, Japan, on the one hand, urges China to start a new round of negotiations, while on the other rushes to strengthen its patrol across the coast, and unilaterally puts forward relevant bill in an attempt to "legitimize" its experimental exploitation in the East China Sea, International Finance News reports.

There are foreign reports saying that China and Japan will resume late this month their negotiations on the exploitation of the oil and gas in the East China Sea. According to Japanese official, currently, China and Japan are making preparations for a new round of negotiations, in which they will discuss Japan's proposal earlier on joint exploitation of the natural gas in East China Sea.

On September 30 and October 1 this year, the two countries held the third round of meeting on the exploitation of the gas and oil fields in East China Sea. Japan proposed joint exploitation on both sides of the Japan-claimed "median line", a proposal China said it needed to examine.

Japan unilaterally puts forward bill

In order to counteract China's exploration of gas and oil in East China Sea, the Japanese government plans to approve Teikoku Oil Co., which was granted concessions from the government earlier this year to start experimental drilling in the East China Sea last July, to start its test drilling in the oil fields in the "sea areas that belong to Japan" in the East China Sea.

In the meantime, Japan said it will decide on the detailed program based on the result of the negotiations with China.

In order to "legitimize" test exploitation in the East China Sea, a panel of Japanese Liberal Democratic Party had mapped out a bill will negotiate with related departments in an attempt for it to be examined by the Diet.

Sources say the bill involves not only East China Sea, but also Japan's exclusive economic zone and the entire continental shelf. The bill stipulates that Japanese minister of land, infrastructure and transport can create off-limits zones near structures set up for resource exploration and development in the exclusive economic zone, and punish infiltrators with jail terms up to one year and 500,000 yen in fines.

Japanese media generally take this bill as an act to support Teikoku Oil Co., to confront China's exploitation in East China Sea.

China has stressed that the gas and oil fields China has exploited are all on the Chinese side of the "median line" Japan proposed and China does not acknowledge. China would like to properly solve related dispute with Japan through dialog. However, Japan this time, disregarding the general interest of Sino-Japanese relations, unilaterally proposed such a bill, which is against the consensus of adherence to dialog reached by the two sides.

Japan strengthens marine patrol

In the meantime, Japan decided to buy more new coast patrol boats and patrol aircraft. It is reported that Japan Coast Guard has handed to Japanese Ministry of Finance a budget involving 28.7 billion yen. A spokesman with Japan Coast Guard said the budget aims to buy 21 new coast patrol boasts and seven jet coast aircraft.

By People's Daily Online