Abstract
In June 2008 Japan and China announced an agreement, following lengthy negotiations, on joint approaches to the exploitation of hydrocarbons in the East China Sea. To evaluate this agreement and its possible consequences, one has to look at the history of the disputes over the sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Islands in Chinese) and the delimitation of the maritime border in the East China Sea. This article argues that the June agreement does not solve either of these problems. Its value is more political than legal or economic. As a result, the implementation of the agreement will necessitate further arduous negotiations and the ratification of a treaty in Japan, both of which will expose the implementation of the agreement to the vagaries of Japan’s and China’s domestic politics and the current atmosphere in the relationship between the two countries.
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