Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang on Wednesday said that the Chinese government was opposed to Japan "making new trouble" over the disputed East China Sea.

 

Qin made the remark in response to reports in Japanese media that Japan had protested China's recent gas exploration operations in the area.

 

He added that China conducted oil and gas exploration operations on its own continental shelf of the East China Sea, which was "beyond reproach."

 

"China and Japan do have some disagreements on the demarcation of the East China Sea," Qin said, calling for the two sides to resolve the issue through negotiations.

 

The two countries have never conducted a demarcation of the area and China refuses to recognize Japan's unilateral claim of a so-called "median line."

 

China has also proposed shelving the disagreement and jointly exploring the region to help maintain stability in the area and the healthy development of China-Japan ties.

 

The two countries have conducted six rounds of East China Sea talks since October 2004. The last was held in Beijing in July.

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 31, 2006)