Vietnam Invites India To Invest In South China Sea, China Objects

Days after Vietnam’s Ambassador to India said his country would welcome Indian investments in the South China Sea, Beijing has responded saying it is opposed to infringement of its rights in the region using the “excuse” of bilateral ties.

“China does not object to the development of normal bilateral relations of relevant countries in our neighbourhood. But China firmly oppose relevant party to use it as an excuse to infringe upon China’s legitimate rights and interests in the South China Sea and impair regional peace and stability,” China’s foreign ministry has said.

China, which claims almost all of the South China Sea, has been opposing India’s oil exploration activity in blocks allocated to the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s (ONGC) international arm by Vietnam. China’s claim, based on the nine-dash line which encircles as much as 90 per cent of the sea, is disputed by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.

In 2017, Vietnam granted ONGC an extension for the fifth time to explore Block-128, allotted to the company’s international arm in 2006. The block lies in the part of the sea claimed by China but controlled by Vietnam. China has, in the past, asked ONGC to stop its exploration activity in the block.

When Vietnam granted an extension to ONGC for the first time, China had responded by putting Block-128 for global bidding. ONGC’s international arm has been exploring oil and gas blocks in Vietnam since 1988.