CHINA-JAPAN: MARITIME MEETING
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According to Japan Times of July 1, 2017, the meeting of high-level officials from the Japanese and Chinese Defence and Foreign Affairs Ministries as well as Maritime Security authorities held in Fukuoka on June 29 and 30, 2017, failed to make progress toward resuming negotiations on joint gas field development in the East China Sea. The parties agreed, however, to operationalise at an early stage a maritime and aerial communication mechanism to prevent accidental clashes between the Self-Defense Forces and the Chinese military. After the talks, the Japanese Foreign Ministry announced that “an intensive exchange of views” had taken place, but did not elaborate.
(Comment: China has been steadily developing offshore gas fields on its side of the median line between Japan and China, leaving the Japanese side feeling like it has run out of options.)
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