China Teaches Japan that Possession is 9/10ths of Ownership

Last year, China denounced Japan’s plans to start drilling in a disputed undersea natural gas field and demanded talks to settle the dispute. Now that talks have begun, China has quietly permitted its state-owned oil company CNOOC to start removing gas from that same disputed field. As Japan’s spokesman points out: “It is the Chinese side that has suddenly decided not to keep its word and to start exploiting that area.”

This is a sneaky but effective move by the Chinese side. Attack the Japanese for a variety of sins and then start sucking out the natural gas. As these talks drag on, China will already effectively taken ownership. No wonder China is deeply uninterested in an international tribunal to resolve this dispute.