Japan should honor its commitment and leave the sea area in China's exclusive economic zone after salvaging a sunken ship, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said in Beijing Thursday.
Kong made the remarks at a regular press conference, urging Japan to restore the sea area to its normal situation.
He said that Japan had already finished the salvage work, which was done "undoubtedly in China's exclusive economic zone".
Kong said that the Chinese government had made one prerequisite and four conditions for the salvage.
The prerequisite was that Japan recognized China's sovereignty and jurisdiction in the exclusive economic zone of China in accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Japanese side accepted this prerequisite, according to Kong.
The four conditions were: coordination with China's supervision during the salvage; a guarantee that the related sea area would be free of pollution; prompt briefings on the salvage developments to China; and immediate departure after the salvage.
China approved the salvage on June 18 after the prerequisite and conditions were all met, he said.
The salvage work, under China's full supervision, lasted more than 20 days owing to bad weather, he said.
Kong reiterated that the sunken ship did not belong to China.
(Xinhua News Agency September 12, 2002)
