China says its activities in East China Sea are legal

China's oil and gas exploration activities in the East China Sea are carried out in undisputed waters under China's jurisdiction, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said, adding that China does not accept Japan's unwarranted accusation.

Guo made the remarks after reports cited the Japanese government as saying China has begun construction of a new structure in waters in the East China Sea. The Japanese Foreign Ministry issued a protest with China.

The exploration activities "fall completely within China's sovereign rights and jurisdiction," Guo said in response on Wednesday.

China upholds and remains committed to the comprehensive and effective implementation of the principled consensus on the East China Sea issue, Guo said at a regular news conference.

"We hope Japan will work in the same direction with China, and create favorable conditions for resuming the intergovernmental negotiations between the two countries," he said.