Ministry of National Defense: Japan's Claim of "Reef as Island" is Fundamentally Groundless

On the afternoon of July 30, the Ministry of Defense held a regular press conference, where Major General Jiang Bin, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, answered reporters' questions.

Reporter: According to reports, the Japanese Ministry of Defense stated that four naval vessels from China and Russia were conducting operations in the southwestern waters of the Okinotorishima reef, during which one Chinese warship carried out shooting exercises within Japan's exclusive economic zone. What is your comment on this?

Jiang Bin: The joint patrol area of the Chinese and Russian militaries is high seas, not the so-called exclusive economic zone claimed by Japan. It is well known that the Okinotorishima reef is less than 10 square meters in size, barely exposed above the sea surface due to artificial reinforcement, and cannot sustain human life, which completely does not meet the definition of an island under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Japanese side disregards the facts by "designating a reef as an island" and claims an exclusive economic zone and continental shelf based on this, which is fundamentally untenable. The actions of China and Russia are in accordance with international law and international practices, and Japan has no right to make unfounded claims; their provocative rhetoric and hype will only backfire.