Foreign and Military Affairs

China enhances maritime law enforcement

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-09-17 20:11

BEIJING - Chinese surveillance ships have been dispatched to safeguard China's rights and interests in Chinese waters, and enforce the law, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said on Friday.

Jiang made the comment when asked to confirm whether Chinese surveillance ships had recently demanded Japan stop marine surveying activities and China's fishery administration ships had stepped up law enforcement activities.

"Relevant Chinese departments have also sent fishery administration ships to China's territorial waters to provide protection for Chinese fishermen," Jiang said.

Media reports said that China has transported materials to Chunxiao oil and gas field in the East China Sea and was likely to carry out maintenance operations there.

When asked to confirm the reports, Jiang said, "China possesses full sovereign and jurisdictional rights to the Chunxiao oil and gas field and China's activities in Chunxiao are completely reasonable and lawful."

The Chunxiao oil and gas field, 450 kilometers southeast of Shanghai, was discovered in 1995.