China denies unilateral gas production in E. China Sea field

BEIJING, March 10 Kyodo - The Chinese Foreign Ministry dismissed Thursday a Japanese newspaper report quoting a state-run oil company official as saying China had unilaterally begun gas production in a field in a disputed area of the East China Sea.
''I'm not aware of specific remarks made by the official you mentioned. As far as I know, the media report is not accurate,'' ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a press conference, when asked to comment on the report.
In its Wednesday issue, the Asahi Shimbun quoted a named senior official of China National Offshore Oil Corp. as saying China ''has already developed the Chunxiao gas field and started production, having already extracted oil.''
Despite denial of the report, Jiang said, ''China's relevant activities in Chunxiao are justified and lawful.''
''The Chunxiao oil and gas field is located in indisputable waters under the Chinese jurisdiction,'' she said. ''China enjoys complete sovereign rights and jurisdiction over it.''
Unilateral action, if confirmed, would violate a June 2008 accord in which China agreed to allow Japanese companies to invest in development of the gas field, which Japan calls Shirakaba.
The gas field is near what Japan claims to be the median line between the two countries' overlapping exclusive economic zones.