Okinotorishima

1. Current situation of Okinawa Reef II. Is Okinawa Reef Island 3? Introduction to Okinawa Reef 4. Which country does Okinawa Reef belong to now? Hello, what's the status of Okinawa Reef? The current situation of Okinawa Reef is to erode the high seas and the international seabed area. On May 3, 2022, China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao said: As we all know, the Okinawa Reef is not a reef, and the exposed area at high tide is less than 10 square meter. However, Japan illegally claimed nearly 700,000 square kilometers of sea area under its jurisdiction with tiny reefs, which eroded the high seas and international seabed areas and harmed the overall interests of the international community. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, "Okinawa" is a reef rather than an island and cannot have an exclusive economic zone and a continental shelf. Japan claims to have an exclusive economic zone and a continental shelf, which violates international law.

Is Okinawa Reef an Island? Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao held a regular press conference.

A reporter asked: It is reported that in response to Japan's application to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf to extend the continental shelf south of Okinawa Reef, a number of papers denying Japan's application appeared in China recently. Matsuno, Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, said at a press conference on the 30th that the Japanese government had learned that China had recently published a number of scientific papers denying Japan's claims, but Japan would not reply to them one by one. What is China's comment on this?

Zhao: We have noticed relevant reports. As we all know, the exposed area of Okinawa Reef at high tide is less than 10 square meter. However, the Japanese side, for its own selfish interests, illegally claimed nearly 700,000 square kilometers of sea area under the jurisdiction of the shot reef, eroding the high seas and the international seabed area and harming the overall interests of the international community.

According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Okinawa is a reef, not an island, and cannot have an exclusive economic zone and a continental shelf. Japan claims its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in violation of international law.

For more information about whether Okinawa Reef is a reef or an island, enter: See more.

Introduction to Okinawa Reef Okinawa Reef is a group of coral atolls located in southern Japan, the western Pacific Ocean and the Philippine Sea. It is located at 136 degrees 05 minutes east longitude and 20 degrees 25 minutes north latitude, about 1730 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, about 1070 kilometers southeast of Okinawa and about 1200 kilometers northwest of Guam. The Japanese side described it as "about 1 m high and composed of two rocks with a diameter of only a few meters", while the Chinese side described it as five rocks. Five rocks were exposed before the high tide, and only two rocks were exposed at the high tide. At low tide, the Okinawa Reef is 4.5km long from east to west and 65438±0.7 km2 from north to south. At high tide, only two reefs, East Ada (called "East Island" in Japan) and Beiruyan (called "West Island" in Japan) are exposed to the water, with an area of 1.6m_ and 6.4m_ respectively. Japan claims that Okinawa Reef is an island, and based on Okinawa Reef, it claims an exclusive economic zone of 470,000 square kilometers and an outer continental shelf of about 255,000 square kilometers. Starting from 1987, islands were built around reefs and concrete walls were built. Through continuous efforts, this reef with less than 10 square meter has become an artificial "island". However, according to the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the establishment of exclusive economic waters must be based on natural land, not man-made "islands". In response to Japanese claims, China, South Korea and Taiwan Province Province of China have always believed that Okinawa is a rock reef rather than an island, and Okinawa Reef cannot be used for human habitation and economic life, and there is no basis for establishing a continental shelf. According to article 12 1 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, an island is a naturally formed land area that emerges from the water at high tide. Rocks that cannot sustain human life should not be included, nor should there be exclusive economic zones and continental shelves.

Which country does Okinawa Reef belong to now? Okinawa Reef (called Okinawa Island in Japan) is a Japanese atoll, located on the Kyushu-Palau Ridge in the South Pacific Ocean of Japan, with latitude of 20 degrees 25 minutes north and longitude of 136 degrees 05 minutes east. Five rocks were exposed before the high tide, and only two rocks were exposed at the high tide, namely, the rocks exposed in the east (called "East Island" in Japan) and the rocks exposed in the north (called "West Island" in Japan), with an area of 1.6m _ and 6.4m_ respectively. 1543, Spanish Bonan discovered a reef while passing through the southeast waters of Japan. He marked the chart and named it "Abre Ojos" (open your eyes to see), reminding ships to be alert to the "hidden" reefs here. 1789, Englishman william douglas arrived at the reef and renamed it "Douglas Reef". Since 1920, Japanese survey vessels have made many measurements on this reef. 1931July, the Japanese government included Okinawa Reef in its territory through the notice of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. During the Second World War, Japan had planned to build a lighthouse and meteorological observatory on the reef, but due to the influence of the Pacific War, this project was not completed. 1946, Japan was defeated and surrendered, and the administrative power of Ogasawara Islands was handed over to the US government by the allied forces. 1968, the United States government returned the administrative power of the Ogasawara Islands to Japan, and the Ogasawara Islands, including Okinawa Reef, were placed under the jurisdiction of the Tokyo government.

For ulterior motives, in order to prevent the Okinawa Reef from being submerged by weathering and tidal erosion, the Japanese government first raised corals on this reef (corals can form coral reefs in the process of continuous growth and death, and can slowly protrude out of the water to form islands after more than a year), but this process is too slow for the Japanese government to wait. After 1987, they spent 28.5 billion yen in two years. 9,900 iron wave blocks were placed around the east exposed rocks and the north exposed rocks, cement protective layers were poured on the rocks exposed to the sea, and dike facilities were built around the Bird Reef. 1990 restore the original meteorological observation station at the location of basic engineering, and establish the existing unattended high-rise buildings and observation facilities. 1June, 1999, the Japanese government spent another 800 million yen to "pierce" the titanium alloy protective net for Dongluyan. In March 2005, another 654.38+0 billion yen was allocated to set up doorplates, lighthouses and meteorological observation equipment on the reef, and the Okinawa Reef was incorporated into Ogasawara Village in Tokyo. The postal code of this uninhabited place is determined as 100-2 100, the telephone area code is 04998, and 65438+ is installed on Okinawa Reef. In recent years, Japan has been secretly expanding artificial islands. On the morning of March 30, 20 14, an accident occurred at the work site of Okinawa "artificial island", which caused many casualties and disappearances, exposing Japan's shameless attempt to create an "artificial island". Last year, the Japanese government began to apply to the United Nations for Okinawa's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in an attempt to expand the scope of its exclusive economic zone. On May 2012 15, the United Nations Commission on the Continental Shelf did not recognize Japan's claim to apply for the continental shelf with "Okinawa". On May 5, 20 12, Japan submitted about 740,000 square kilometers to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf for consideration, and only four blocks were obtained, namely Shikoku Basin, South Iwo Jima, Chongdadong Ridge and Kogasawara Plateau, with a total area of 3 10000 square kilometers, accounting for 4 1% of the original application area. More crucially, the Committee does not recognize the right of Okinawa Reef to have exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, which further proves that Okinawa is a few reefs in the Pacific Ocean, not an island on which human beings depend.

The dispute between China and Japan about whether Bird Reef is an island or a rock reef is because this matter is closely related to China. According to the definition of an island in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, "an island is a naturally formed land area surrounded by water and exposed at high tide". Similarly, according to Article 12 1 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, "Rocks that cannot sustain human habitation or their own economic life should not have an exclusive economic zone or a continental shelf", while China thinks that the Okinawa is a rocky reef rather than an island. It is absolutely impossible to apply for an exclusive economic zone or a continental shelf on the basis of Fiona Fang 12 nautical mile. South Korea, North Korea and other East Asian countries, as well as Taiwan Province Province of China, also claimed that Okinawa Reef could not be inhabited and could not maintain economic life, and there was no basis for establishing a continental shelf.

Japan's real intention of calling the "reef" an "island" is threefold: First, it has expanded the jurisdiction area of Japanese waters. If Okinawa Reef is recognized as an "island" and will be given an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles around Japan, the jurisdiction area of Japan's sea area will double to 420,000 square kilometers, which is larger than the existing land area of 378,000 square kilometers in Japan. But if this is not an island but a reef, it only has a territorial sea of 12 nautical miles and a contiguous zone of 24 nautical miles, and has no economic rights, only four rights: customs, finance or health and immigration. Second, it will help Japan compete for strategic resources in this region. The waters around Okinawa Reef are rich in oil, natural gas and some rare minerals. These areas contain a large number of rare metal mines, such as copper mines, submarine hot water deposits, oil and natural gas and other resources. If Okinawa Reef is recognized as an "island", then the rich human resources around 200 nautical miles will be monopolized by Japan. The third is to control the strategic channel. Okinawa Reef has a very important military strategic position. Guard the main navigation channel of the East China Sea to and from the Pacific Ocean, close to Guam, Saipan, the Philippines and Taiwan Province Province. Its strategic position is very important. In addition, Okinawa Reef is also located between the first island chain and the second island chain in the Asia-Pacific region. If Japan turns these islands and reefs into artificial islands, establishes ports and even takes off and lands planes, it can become an important springboard to connect the first island chain and the second island chain. It will bring great difficulties and obstacles for China to smash the Western containment conspiracy, break the first and second "island chains" and head for the Pacific Ocean.

The Okinawa Reef is not what we want, it is too far away, but as an official, we must never let this mouth go, or we will be scolded to death by future generations! Who can predict what will happen in the next 500 years? The dynastic government is a continuation, and what the previous generation said has an influence on later generations: Today, we resolutely oppose Japan's request to turn reefs into islands, not only to stop Japan's attempt to occupy the exclusive economic zone of 700,000 square kilometers and the continental shelf of 400,000 square kilometers without any reason, but also to create conditions and remove obstacles for us to go to the ocean, revitalize China and realize the dream of becoming a powerful country. To sum up, Okinawa Reef must not become Okinawa Island according to the wishes of the Japanese government.