East China Sea U.S.–China Military Military Diplomacy

Japan's Disregard for the Facts in Calling a Reef an Island Is Completely Untenable

日方罔顾事实“指礁为岛”根本站不住脚

PLA Daily (解放军报) 30 July 2026

Summary

At the July 30 MND press conference, Spokesperson Senior Colonel Jiang Bin rejected Japan's claim that a Chinese warship conducted live-fire training inside Japan's EEZ during a China-Russia joint naval patrol southwest of Okinotorishima, asserting the waters are high seas and that Okinotorishima fails UNCLOS Article 121's definition of an island. The statement extends Beijing's long-running legal challenge to Japan's Okinotorishima EEZ claim by pairing it with a joint patrol — a combination that documents how China uses multilateral naval activity to reinforce disputed maritime legal positions. What remains unknown is which specific Chinese warship conducted the live-fire exercise and the exact coordinates of the activity.

Translation

On the afternoon of July 30, the Ministry of National Defense held a routine press conference, at which Ministry of National Defense Spokesperson Senior Colonel Jiang Bin answered reporters' questions.

Reporter: According to reports, Japan's Ministry of Defense stated that, while four naval vessels from China and Russia were transiting waters to the southwest of Okinotorishima, one Chinese warship conducted live-fire training within Japan's exclusive economic zone. What is your comment on this?

Jiang Bin: The waters in which the Chinese and Russian militaries conducted their joint patrol are the high seas — not Japan's so-called exclusive economic zone. As is well known, Okinotorishima covers an area of less than 10 square meters, barely protrudes above the surface of the sea only through artificial reinforcement, and cannot sustain human habitation. It does not come close to meeting the definition of an island under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Japan's disregard for the facts in calling a reef an island, and its use of that claim as the basis for asserting an exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, is completely untenable. The relevant actions by China and Russia are consistent with international law and international practice. Japan has no standing to make irresponsible remarks (说三道四), and its efforts to fan the flames and hype up the matter will only prove counterproductive.

Original Chinese

7月30日下午，国防部举行例行记者会，国防部新闻发言人蒋斌大校答记者问。记者：据报道，日本防卫省称，中俄海军共4艘舰艇在冲之鸟礁西南海域航行期间，1艘中国军舰在日本专属经济区内实施了射击训练。请问对此有何评论？蒋斌：中俄两军联合巡航海域是公海，不是日方所谓的专属经济区。众所周知，冲之鸟礁面积不足10平米、靠人工加固才勉强露出海面，且无法维持人类生存，完全不符合《联合国海洋法公约》关于岛屿的界定。日方罔顾事实“指礁为岛”，并以此主张专属经济区和大陆架，根本站不住脚。中俄有关行动符合国际法和国际惯例，日方无权说三道四，煽宣炒作只会适得其反。