China Objects to Japan-Philippines Maritime Boundary Talks

Beijing, June 1 (Jiji Press)--China’s coast guard said Monday that it has conducted patrols in waters east of Taiwan, in response to the decision by Japan and the Philippines last week to begin talks to delimit a maritime boundary between the two countries.

The decision was included in a joint statement released after a summit between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Tokyo on Thursday.

At a press conference on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called the move by Japan and the Philippines completely illegal and invalid, claiming that the waters east of Taiwan include China’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

On Monday, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference that the negotiations are not problematic under international law.

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