China Opposes Japan-Philippines Maritime Boundary Talks, Calls Negotiations ‘Illegal’
China has strongly objected to the decision by Japan and the Philippines to launch maritime boundary negotiations, describing the planned talks as “illegal and invalid” while reiterating its claims over the disputed waters east of Taiwan.
The diplomatic dispute emerged after Tokyo and Manila announced on Thursday that they would begin formal negotiations aimed at delimiting the maritime boundary of their exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and continental shelves. The announcement came during Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s visit to Tokyo, where he met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Responding to the development on Friday, China’s Foreign Ministry voiced firm opposition to the proposed maritime delimitation process. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning stated that Beijing maintains claims to an exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in the waters east of Taiwan and rejects any negotiations that it believes affect those claims.
“China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to this,” Mao told a regular press briefing.
She further stated that the proposed maritime boundary negotiations between Japan and the Philippines are “entirely illegal and invalid,” adding that Beijing has lodged formal diplomatic representations with both governments.
The latest disagreement highlights growing geopolitical and maritime security tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, where Japan and the Philippines have increasingly strengthened cooperation amid concerns over China’s expanding maritime territorial claims.
Japan and China continue to face territorial and economic disputes in the East China Sea, where coast guard vessels from both countries regularly encounter each other in contested waters.
Meanwhile, in the South China Sea, China has deployed naval and coast guard assets around strategically significant reefs and islands, seeking to prevent Philippine access to several disputed features. These actions have led to a series of maritime confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in recent years.
The planned Japan-Philippines maritime boundary talks are expected to add another dimension to ongoing regional discussions surrounding maritime jurisdiction, exclusive economic zones, continental shelf rights, and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific maritime domain.
