Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

In response to a question about China reportedly removing a buoy in the South China Sea, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday that China's installation of a meteorological observation buoy in waters east of Taiwan, which are under China's jurisdiction, is consistent with China's domestic laws and international law.

It is learned that competent Chinese authorities are maintaining the buoy as needed by relevant work, Mao said.

The buoy in question is claimed to be located in the exclusive economic zone to the south of Yonaguni Island of Okinawa by Kyodo News, one which Japan Coast Guard previously claimed that China had removed on Wednesday, according to Japanese news outlet the Mainichi.

In December, the Japanese government reported spotting a new buoy south of Yonaguni Island, which lies approximately 100 kilometers from the island of Taiwan. However, in a Wednesday update on its website, the Japan Coast Guard described the buoy east of Taiwan as "nonexistent," the Mainichi reported.

According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Article 57 states that the exclusive economic zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles (370.4 kilometers) from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. According to the Mainichi report, the buoy located east of the island of Taiwan falls within this 200-nautical-mile range.

Global Times