China warned Japan on Thursday not to take steps to oppose Beijing developing gas fields in the East China Sea, rejecting renewed criticism from Tokyo, Reuters reported. On Wednesday, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso said his country may take retaliatory measures if China goes ahead with full-fledged production at gas fields in disputed areas of the East China Sea. A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Qin Gang, told a regular news briefing in Beijing that China was acting within its rights and warned Tokyo against any "unilateral" steps. "China's natural gas development activities in the East China Sea are in Chinese coastal waters that Japan does not dispute," Qin said. "It's a normal activity exercising our sovereign rights."
