20150722 DoS press briefing on East China Sea

QUESTION: The Japanese Government recently released photos that in the East China Sea China has been developing a natural gas field.  Does the U.S. government have any comment on that?

MR KIRBY: A natural gas field.

QUESTION: Yes.

MR KIRBY: I haven’t seen that particular report, so I would defer comment on this.  What we have made clear is that we want all the destabilizing activities there to cease, and we’re not going to take a position on the claims but we want competing claims to be worked out peacefully and diplomatically.

QUESTION: In 2008, Japan and China created a bilateral agreement agreeing not to – agreeing to jointly develop gas fields.  Does the U.S. Government have any comment on the breach of that bilateral agreement?

MR KIRBY: Well, the question presupposes there’s been a breach.  I haven’t seen the report that you’re referring to, so I’m not in a position to answer that specific question.  As I said, we want competing claims, whatever they may be, to be worked out between the parties and to be done so peacefully.  We’re not going to take a position on competing claims, and I don’t suspect that we would do in this case either.

QUESTION: Thank you.