Tensions between China and Japan sharpened Thursday with Beijing strongly protesting Tokyo's plans to conduct test drilling for oil and gas in a disputed region in the East China Sea. "This move by Japan is a serious provocation of China's rights and international norms," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said. "China has already made a protest to Japan, and reserves the right to take further action," Qin said. But Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Thursday dismissed China's protest and called for further negotiations over the rights to the disputed area of the East China Sea. "China and Japan have different standpoints. We need to continue discussion for shared water," Koizumi told reporters in Tokyo. Japan's Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa reiterated Tokyo's call on China to disclose information about natural gas projects it is conducting in the waters or suspend explorations. Aisawa said at a press conference, "There is no change in our policy of proceeding with the procedures in line with domestic law." He said the government made the decision Wednesday as "we need to secure the rights of our country based on international law and the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea". Qin also called for negotiations on "shared development" of the disputed area, but accused Japan of "turning a blind eye" to China's claims. "We strongly demand that Japan considers the serious requests of China," he said. Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing in Beijing on Sunday, a Japanese embassy spokesman said. The protest from China came one day after Tokyo, despite strong warnings from Beijing, initiated procedures to grant Japanese companies the right to conduct test boring for oil and gas to the east of a so-called "demarcation line" in the East China Sea. --more 1237 Local Time 0937 GMT
