China refutes Japanese concerns over navy drills near Okinotori reef

Japanese officials say a Chinese navy destroyer conducted live-fire drills

off one of Japan's remote islands in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday during

its joint exercise with Russia.

The Chinese Luyang III-class guided-missile destroyer conducted

a live-fire exercise 180 kilometres off Japan's southernmost island of Okinotori,

an area Japan says falls under its Exclusive Economic Zone.

This hours after the Japanese Joint Staff says the destroyer operating

alongside two other Chinese warships and a Russian frigate were spotted.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara tells reporters his government conveyed

concerns that the live-fire drills posed potential safety threat to nearby vessels.

He notes ships near the area received a notice from the Chinese warships

just before the drills started.

At a press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian

calls Tokyo's concerns "completely unreasonable," adding China

firmly rejects them.

“Japan's so called concerns is actually groundless. China has firmly refuted the

concerns from Japanese side (about) our China-Russia joint exercise and patrol.

Chinese authorities have made position clear on that and stress that according to

UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea),

Okinotori is a reef rather than an island. As such, it is not entitled to an EEZ

or continental shelf. Japan's claim of an EEZ around

the topic Okinotori violates international law,” says Lin.