Japan and China have struck a deal for the joint development of a gas field in the East China Sea, resolving a protracted bilateral dispute.

Japanese private sector firms will take part in China's project to develop the Chunxiao gas field, which is known as Shirakaba in Japan.

A small crowd of Chinese protesters denounced the deal outside the Japanese embassy in Beijing.

China said the deal would "benefit peace and stability".

Wary of the potential for nationalist backlash, China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said that the agreement "did not harm the respective legal stance of both sides". ... Read full article