Law of the Sea - Continental Shelf

China and Japan held their first round of negotiations aimed at signing a treaty over joint gas field development in the East China Sea. Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said, ''Both Japan and China have to make efforts to produce fruitful results." During the negotiations, China proposed resolving the issue of Japanese firms' investment in the Chunxiao gas field first, whereas Japan favors comprehensive settlement of the investment and the joint development of the Longjing field.