East China Sea spat heightens Japan tensions
The long-running battle between Japan and China over a disputed oil and gas field in the East China Sea has intensified, after Japan responded to a report that China had started production by saying it would tell China to stop if necessary.
CNOOC, a Chinese state-controlled upstream oil and gas company, ended months of speculation when it said on its homepage on Friday that it had begun production at the field, known in China as Chunxiao and in Japan as Shirakaba.
If CNOOC's claim proves correct, it is likely to worsen relations between the Asian powers, which have deteriorated considerably since Junichiro Koizumi became Japanese prime minister in 2001.
A spokesman for Japan's foreign ministry said on Sunday Tokyo's attempt to confirm this on Friday "through diplomatic channels" had not yet met with a response, but "if indeed it is true it is a source of concern".
The spokesman said that in previous consultations "the Japanese government has already made clear it doesn't want the Chinese side to go ahead and start production". If China had ignored these calls Japan would tell China to cease.
The biggest cause of the chilling in relations between the two countries is Mr Koizumi's annual visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine. The shrine honours Japan's war dead, including people ruled Class A war criminals by the allied side after the second world war. China has repeatedly criticised the visits.
The Yasukuni issue is unlikely to go away when Koizumi quits his post next month.
It was revealed on Friday that Shinzo Abe, chief cabinet secretary and the man most likely to succeed him, has visited the shrine earlier this year.
Japan says the disputed gasfield straddles the line separating Japanese and Chinese territory. China says the field lies entirely within its own territory.
Beijing and Tokyo have held several rounds of talks this year over the territorial dispute but have so far reached no agreement.
In the statement on CNOOC's website, the company said that Zhang Guobao, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, the top planning body, visited the oil and gas field last month. "The first phase of the Chunxiao development project has begun," he was quoted as saying.
CNOOC said that some of the downstream aspects of the project, including signing agreements with end-users, had still to be resolved.
Although Japan's foreign ministry has taken ahard line on the CNOOC report, the ministry spokesman told the Financial Times on Sunday: "I don't think we are finding relations worsening [between the two countries]".
中日东海油气之争升级
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日之间有关东海有争议油气田的争端已有时日，近期两国间的争端出现升级，原因是日本针对一篇中国已开始在该油气田生产的报道作出了反应，称如有必要，将要求中方停止生产。
中国国家控股的上游油气企业中海油(CNOOC)上周五在其网站主页上表示，公司已开始在该油气田的生产，从而结束了外界数月的揣测。中方称该油气田为春晓气田，日方则称为白桦气田(Shirakaba)。
如果中海油的说法证明属实，有可能使中日这两个亚洲大国之间的关系进一步恶化。自小泉纯一郎(Junichiro Koizumi)2001年就任日本首相以来，中日两国关系已显著恶化。
日本外务省一位发言人昨天表示，日本政府周五“通过外交渠道”证实这一报道的企图尚未得到回应，但“如果情况的确属实，将令人关切”。
该发言人表示，在此前的数次磋商中，“日本政府已明确表示不希望中方推动项目投产”。如果中国不理会上述呼吁，日方将要求中方停止。
导致中日关系降温的最大因素，是小泉每年都要参拜靖国神社。靖国神社内供奉着日本阵亡者的灵位，包括二战后被盟军列为甲级战犯的人。中国曾多次批评小泉的参拜行为。
靖国神社参拜问题不太可能随着小泉下月的辞职而消失。
上周五有消息称，内阁官房长官安倍晋三(Shinzo Abe)于今年早些时候参拜了靖国神社。安倍晋三是最有可能继任小泉成为首相的人选。
日方称，有争议的气田跨越日中领海中间线，而中方则表示，该气田完全位于中国领海内。
中日政府今年就该领海争端进行了数轮谈判，但迄今未就任何相关事宜达成一致。
中海油在公司网站上的声明中表示，国家发改委副主任张国宝上月视察了该油气田。中海油援引张国宝的话称：“目前春晓油气田一期工程已经全面进入了开发生产阶段。”国家发改委是中国最高规划部门。
中海油表示，该项目的一些下游事宜还有待解决，包括与最终用户签订协议。
尽管日本外务省对中海油这篇报道采取了强硬态度，但外务省发言人昨天对《金融时报》表示：“我并不认为（两国的）关系在恶化。”
