Forty-four Chinese people protested before the Japanese Embassy
in Beijing on Friday after Japan's seabed exploration for natural
resources at a disputed section of the East China Sea on
Wednesday.
The protesters come from different provinces, municipalities and
autonomous regions throughout the nation and after the rally, some
of them rode bicycles around the city carrying placards.
A Japanese Embassy official accepted a written protest which
calls for the Japanese Government to immediately stop illegal
actions on China's exclusive economic zone and demands an apology
from Japanese authorities.
Japan launched the exploration on Wednesday in the disputed
waters to the east of so-called "medium line" which was
unilaterally proposed by the Japanese side, reports said.
China warned on Thursday it "retains the right to take further
action" on Japan's recent sea bed exploration.
Japan contends that it is drawn at equal distances from the
shores of the two countries. But China maintains the border is
where the continental shelf ends.
The Chinese side has always maintained that the East China Sea
should be a peaceful, stable area that can benefit both sides.
"China is watching closely the latest progress of the issue,"
said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue at a news conference
in Beijing on Thursday.
(China Daily July 10, 2004)