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The Japanese government, in response to the buoys deployed in the Pacific Ocean without prior information from China, has expressed its concerns in a news conference on Friday. The government is taking a proactive stance, ensuring that any such activity is closely monitored.
The buoy was seen floating near the Shikoku Basin region. This region is expected to possess rich mineral resources under the seabed. According to the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS), Japan has the right to develop and explore the seabed resources and any country is allowed to survey the area. Buoys from other countries are also present there for such purposes.
Senkaku Islands, situated in the East China Sea, is claimed by China but controlled by Japan. Buoys have been identified near these islands at various locations, and such deployments in Japan’s continental shelf in the Pacific Ocean are seldom heard of, which has led to concerns from the Japanese authorities.
Authorities respond to the incident
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed disappointment during a Friday news conference, stating that the placement of a buoy by a Chinese marine research vessel north of Okinotorishima, Japan’s southernmost island, occurred without adequate clarification regarding its intended purpose.
The Japanese government had asked for an immediate explanation for the incident from the Chinese side. The Chinese government replied that the buoys only intended to study Tsunami activities and did not aim to violate Japan’s sovereign right over its continental shelf.
Hayashi further added that Tokyo has been monitoring the Chinese research vessel in the Japanese Exclusive Economic Zone in the East China Sea.
In response to the question of buoys of the United States of America being present in the region, a senior foreign ministry official expressed that the trust with the United States stems from transparency, which is a different case with China.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson stressed the fact that high seas are open to all countries, and the buoys were installed for public and scientific research purposes, keeping well within the purview of international laws.
Chinese buoys in the Pacific
The Chinese government has deployed multiple buoys in a network with various sensors equipped to obtain data from the ocean. These buoys are observed to be present at various strategic locations. They are intended to extract data related to oceanographic research, such as oceanic temperature and ocean current monitoring, among various other parameters. These deployments aim to aid the Chinese research on climate and marine exploration.
However, the growing presence of such tools of research in the Pacific attracts international attention as the Global sentiments towards China and its non-transparency related to its activities mask their dual purposes. Such surveillance tools are allegedly positioned in strategic locations that often can be seen as a threat to the countries in the vicinity with which China maintains long-standing disputes over territorial boundaries and marine boundaries.
Several nations are worried that the information and intelligence gathered can potentially be used against them. Neighboring countries of China in the Pacific region are concerned about such buoys serving military purposes by gathering information about naval and submarine activities in the region. This is viewed as China’s attempt to assert its influence over the broader Indo-Pacific region, challenging the existing norms.
