India rebuffs China’s objections to oil exploration in South China Sea

He was replying to a question on China asking India and other countries to refrain from oil exploration in maritime areas offered by Vietnam in the South China Sea,claiming it enjoys “indisputable sovereignty” there.

He said ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) had been in Vietnam for quite sometime in offshore oil and natural gas exploration field and that they were in the process of further expanding cooperation and operation and Essar,a subsidiary of Essar oil Ltd,has also been awarded a gas block in Vietnam.

“This is one important area of cooperation,and we would like this area of cooperation to grow. Our cooperation with Vietnam or with any other country for that matter in the world is always as per as international laws,norms and conventions,” Prakash said.

He also reiterated India’s position that New Delhi “supports freedom of navigation in South China Sea and hopes that all parties to the dispute would abide by the 2002 declaration of conduct in South China Sea.”

The issues are expected to find a place in the Joint Commission Meeting,to be co-chaired by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna along with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh,in Hanoi tomorrow.

However,Prakash did not elaborate on the new projects of ONGC that has an investment of about $225 million in Vietnam,out of total $400 million Indian investment.

“This work is in progress,” he said when asked about the new energy projects.

During the Joint Commission Meeting,the two leaders “will undertake a comprehensive review of Indo-Vietnam cooperation in the areas of trade and investment,culture,science,information technology,human resource development,agriculture etc.

Significantly,Krishna’s visit also comes close on the heels of an incident of an Indian Navy vessel reportedly being warned by the Chinese Navy off the coast of Vietnam against entering “Chinese waters” in late July and New Delhi defending freedom of navigation in international waters,including in the South China Sea,and the right of passage in accordance with accepted principles of international law.

“These principles should be respected by all,” it has said.

For the JCM,the delegation includes officials from a number of ministries and departments keeping in view India’s multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam.

The minister will also inaugurate the Advance Resource Centre,a centre of excellence in the field of IT Training,set up in Hanoi with Indian assistance,during the visit.

Apart from meeting Vietnamese leaders,Krishna’s programme includes a visit to the country’s business capital Ho Chi Minh City,formerly Saigon,in south Vietnam.

China claims South China Sea,warns India against exploration

China today asked India and other countries to refrain from oil exploration in maritime areas offered by Vietnam in the South China Sea,claiming that it enjoys “indisputable sovereignty” there.

“I would like to reaffirm that China enjoys indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea and the island. China’s stand is based on historical facts and international law,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu told a media briefing here without directly referring to India.

When pointed out India’s stand apparently was guided by Vietnam’s claim that it had rights over the two oil blocks under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Seas,Jiang said China’s sovereign rights and positions are formed in the course of history and this position has been held by the Chinese government for long.

She was answering questions over reports of ONGC Videsh Ltd’s plans to undertake oil exploration in two Vietnam blocks in the South China Sea which is expected to figure in External Affairs Minister S M Krishna’s talks with his Vietnamese counterpart in Hanoi tomorrow.

Jiang said she has not heard about the media report in this regard but at the same time stated China’s stand claiming rights on the South China Sea is based on historical facts and international law.

“On the basis of this,China is ready to engage in peaceful negotiations and friendly consultations to peacefully solve the disputes over territorial sovereignty and maritime rights so as to positively contribute to peace and tranquility in the South China Sea area,” she said.

“We hope relevant countries respect China’s position and refrain from taking unilateral action to complicate and expand the issue. For countries outside the region we hope they will respect and support countries in the region to solve the bilateral disputes through bilateral channels,” she said.

“As for oil and gas exploration activities,our consistent position is that we are opposed to any country engaged in oil and gas exploration and development activities in waters under China’s jurisdiction. We hope the foreign countries do not get involved in South China sea dispute,” she said.

With claims over the entire South China Sea,China has running maritime disputes with a host of countries of ASEAN and Japan. China and Vietnam,besides Philippines had a major spat over the issue recently after Chinese maritime vessels stopped exploration activities in the waters they claim as theirs.

US is actively engaged in backing the rights of different countries over the waters of South China Sea contesting China’s claims and this is the first time India has joined the fray.

Suggesting that Hanoi should not engage outside countries,Jiang said: “For countries in the region I would like to emphasise that (they should) properly handle the dispute and enhance regional trust and reduce differences and expand cooperation so as to maintain peace stability over South China Sea in the common interest of all the countries in the region. It is the direction that countries should work together for”.

“Our position is based on long term affective administration. China has been the first to occupy the area,” she said.