Gasfield not in disputed waters

China's exploration of a gasfield in the East China Sea is its inherent sovereign right as the area does not fall in disputed waters, foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said on Sunday.

"The Tianwaitian oil and gasfield is under the administration of China's undisputed territorial water," Qin said in a statement on the ministry's website (www.mfa.gov.cn).

Qin's statement came after a Japanese newspaper reported that China violated an agreement by developing the gasfield unilaterally.