China marks East China Sea territory

China has sent a Partial Submission to the UN on the Outer Limits of its Continental Shelf in the East China Sea. The document has been submitted amid rising disputes over the contested waters.

Dr Qiu Jun began to draft the application as early as 2004. He's in charge of mapping, using data collected from past patrols in the region. He's also made one trip himself, to as far as the Diaoyu Islands.

Dr. Qiu Jun, research fellow of Project Compilation Team, said, "Since the 1990s, China has conducted many inspections in this area. The geological features prove that China's shelf natually stretches to the Okinawa Trough, which shows a remarkable partition. Therefore our claim is substantiated by hard scientific facts. "

According to the partial application, China claims maritime sovereignty from the east coast up to the yellow line on this map. Its legal basis is the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea, which allows nations to extend the outer lines of their continental shelves to a maximum of 350 nautical miles, if they're proved to be natural prolongations.

Japan, however, claims the border should be drawn in the middle, or to the black line here.

Experts say what lies beneath could be a source of contention.

Zhang Haiwen, deputy chief of Project Compilation Team, said, "Policies on the Continental Shelf mainly involve natural resources, including the non-living resources under the seabed, in particular oil, gas, minerals, and rare metals. The resources also include organisms. So, the rights over a Continental Shelf are mainly the sovereign rights over resources."

Japan opposes China's proposal on the shelf boundary. In the latest development, its in-coming Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said that there's no room for talks over territorial disputes with China.

In response to the remark, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying this week reiterated China's inherent sovereignty over the area, and expressed China's hope that Japan will reflect on and properly handle the current difficulties in relations.

The application is yet to be reviewed by the UN panel. Even when it does, the UN does not have the authority to settle such issues. Still Dr Qiu believes it's important to make China's voice heard at every opportunity.

Dr. Qiu Jun said, "The UN Convention of the Law of the Sea requires all state parties to provide information on the outer limts of their continental shelves. It's both an obligation and a claim. "

The Republic of Korea is also set to claim that its shelf naturally stretches to the Okinawa Trough.

By submitting the appilcation on the outer limits of its continental shelf, China hopes the UN will recognize the legitimacy of its claims. This is an important step in defending China's territorial waters, amid the rising disputes in the East China Sea.