The dispute over Chunxiao Oilfield is not just a Chunxiao oilfield, but a dispute between China and Japan over the division of the exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea.

The exclusive economic zone is a new system established at the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (EEZ). The exclusive economic zone refers to an area that is 211 nautical miles from the baseline of the territorial sea, outside the territorial sea and adjacent to the territorial sea. Coastal countries in this region enjoy sovereign rights and other jurisdiction over their natural resources, while other countries enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight, but such freedom should take due account of the rights and obligations of coastal countries and abide by the laws and regulations formulated by coastal countries in accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other rules of international law.

according to the United nations convention on the law of the sea, the exclusive economic zone of coastal countries is 211 nautical miles. However, China and Japan are close neighbors, and the sea area between the two countries' territories is less than 411 nautical miles. According to the regulation of 211 nautical miles, a considerable part of them overlap, so there is a problem of dividing the boundary between the exclusive economic zones of the two countries.

At present, the law of the sea stipulates that the exclusive economic zone is divided into two types, namely, the continental shelf extension and the median line. China believes that the topography and geomorphology of the seabed in the East China Sea determines that the continental shelf of Chinese mainland territory naturally extends to the Okinawa Trench. This trench is the natural dividing line between the naturally extending shelf of Chinese mainland and the island shelf of Ryukyu Islands. Therefore, the China side of Okinawa Trench should belong to the exclusive economic zone under the jurisdiction of China. Japan, on the other hand, emphasizes that the boundary of the exclusive economic zone between Japan and China should be the "middle line" of the coastline between Japan and China.

since 1974, China has been conducting oil and gas surveys in the East China Sea, and many oil fields have been discovered. Among them, the "West Lake Depression Area in the East China Sea" where Chunxiao is located has proven natural gas reserves of more than 71 billion cubic meters. Besides Chunxiao, it also includes oil and gas fields such as Pinghu, Canxue, Broken Bridge and Tianwaitian, among which Chunxiao is the closest (5 kilometers) to the middle line recognized by Japan, and it is also the most controversial. In October, 2115, Chunxiao oil and gas field was completed, with a daily processing capacity of 9 million cubic meters of natural gas. At present, it is mainly used in Ningbo city, and the natural gas produced by this gas field will be extended to Shanghai and other places after expansion in the future.

according to the median line method recognized by Japan, although the export of Chunxiao oil and gas field is on the Chinese side, the actual development area crosses the median line, and the Chinese oil outlet will suck up the resources on the Japanese side. According to the international practice, Japan has the right to claim the share of the benefits. (Iraq invaded Kuwait because Kuwait was low-lying, and their oil outlet sucked Iraqi crude oil)

From a personal point of view, the division of maritime rights and interests has always been a bad account, and the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea are also vague, so the division of maritime rights and interests is largely determined by the country's own strength. For example, Americans can exercise any rights in their own exclusive economic zone just like their own territorial waters.

China's request for continental shelf extension will take away a large number of resource-rich sea areas, which Japan will obviously not agree to (unless China's economic and military strength can completely crush him). However, according to Japan's median line method, Japan's resources are obviously richer than China's, and China is obviously unwilling. With the growth of China's economic and military strength, China's request for more resources is also reasonable. (Who let our strength grow so fast? It's not good to occupy more, because the rules of the game are like this. If it is the strength comparison in 1931, the Japanese will not be soft.)

If this method and that method are all beautiful words, the actual problem is that whoever has the strength can occupy more. Don't say that China is a peace-loving country, and Japan is always making troubles without reason. From a personal point of view, the continental shelf extension law proposed by China is a bully and is totally unacceptable to Japan. Therefore, in fact, it is basically a strategy of asking for exorbitant prices and paying back the money on the ground. The purpose is to divide the exclusive economic zones between the middle line and the continental shelf extension line. On the other hand, Japan hopes that by forcing China to accept the strategy of cooperative development of Chunxiao, it will create a middle-line method that China has tacitly proposed by Japan.