Law of the Sea - Continental Shelf

China and Japan agreed to hold their first director-general level meeting over disputed gas field development in the East China Sea since the two countries reached an agreement in June 2008. Japan hoped that the talks would make progress on forging a bilateral treaty embodying details of how to implement a joint development project.

Law of the Sea

A squadron of Chinese naval ships, including two submarines, reportedly passed through high seas about 140 kilometres south-west of Okinawa. This was the third time in 18 months that Chinese warships traversed the area.

Jurisdiction

Tax

Hong Kong

As G20 threatened to impose sanctions on jurisdictions that do not meet the OECD standard on exchange of tax information and sign 12 tax treaties with other countries, Hong Kong had only 9 treaties in place. But the OECD said it was very pleased with the progress made by Hong Kong.

See previous post.

Territory - Spratly Islands

China sent two patrol vessels into the South China Sea to give protection and rescue assistance to Chinese fishing ships. Chinese officials say that since 1994 there have been more than 300 attacks on Chinese fishing vessels in the region, resulting in the deaths of 25 fishermen. Later, Vietnam demanded China to stop the patrol, claiming that "Vietnam holds undisputable sovereignty over the Paracel and the Spratly archipelagos".

International River

As farmers and fishermen in the riparian countries of the Mekong River blamed the plunging levels of the river on China's construction of four dams over the Chinese portion (called Lancang) of the river, China sent delegates to a conference of the Mekong River Commission and argued that the dropping water of the Mekong was caused by the serious drought weather, not the hydroelectric plants along Lancang.