China on Friday presented to the UN Secretariat its Partial Submission Concerning the Outer Limits of the Continental Shelf beyond 200 Nautical Miles in the East China Sea.

Physiognomy and geological characteristics show that the continental shelf in the East China Sea is the natural prolongation of China's land territory, according to the document.

The natural prolongation of the continental shelf of China in the East China Sea extends to the Okinawa Trough, which is an important geographical unit featuring remarkable partition, it says.

The width of the continental shelf of China in the East China Sea, the document says, is measured more than 200 nautical miles from the baselines of the territorial sea of China.

It also points out that its issuance shall not affect the Chinese government in presenting other demarcation submissions concerning outer continental shelves in the East China Sea and other waters.

According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its relevant provisions, if the continental shelf of a coastal state extends beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the width of the territorial sea is measured, information on the limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles shall be submitted by the coastal state to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf under the UNCLOS.

In September, the Chinese government decided to submit to the commission the information on the outer limits of the Continental Shelf Beyond 200 Nautical Miles.

In May 2009, the Chinese government submitted to the commission its Preliminary Information Indicative of the Outer Limits of the Continental Shelf Beyond 200 Nautical Miles.

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