Island’s government demands halt to Chinese oil and gas operations in its exclusive economic zone
Taiwan’s government has accused China of breaching international law by drilling for oil and gas inside Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and immediately demanded it halt the activity.
The statement from the office of Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, came after revelations first reported by the Guardian that several Chinese oil rigs and associated vessels had been detected inside Taiwan’s EEZ, near the disputed Pratas Islands, which are under Taiwanese control.
A report published by the Jamestown Foundation, a US-based thinktank, said the assets had been there for up to five years, and were all owned by the Chinese state-run China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).
Their presence had not been previously reported. The Guardian independently confirmed the continued presence of most of them last week, using commercial civilian maritime tracking platforms.
