Japan has lodged a strong protest with Beijing over a new facility that China is constructing on the Chinese side of the median line between the two countries in the East China Sea, according to Japan’s Jiji Press on Tuesday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi stated at a press conference that China’s move is “very regrettable” amid unresolved issues regarding exclusive economic zones and the continental shelf in the East China Sea. Masaki Kanai, Director-General of the Asia-Pacific Affairs Bureau at Japan’s Foreign Ministry, delivered the protest to Shi Yong, Deputy Head of the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo. Japan and China had reached an agreement in June 2008 on joint development of natural resources in the East China Sea, but talks on implementing the agreement have stalled.