Saturday 24 September 2011

INDIA, CHINA AND VIETNAM’S OIL

economic_timesINDIA SHRUGS OFF CHINA WARNINGS ON OIL EXPLORATION

The Economic Times, September 24, 2011

NEW DELHI: Shrugging off Chinese warnings, ONGC said on Friday it would press ahead with long-term partner Vietnam in exploring the disputed South China Sea for oil.

The plans have stoked concerns that the exploration could exacerbate tensions between fast-growing neighbours China and India, who fought a brief, bloody war in 1962 over their disputed Himalayan border.

China has repeatedly said it has &quotindisputable sovereignty" over essentially all of the South China Sea, a key trading route, and that Beijing is opposed to any country engaged in oil and gas exploration there without its permission.

But India insists the area ONGC wishes to explore is well within Vietnam's territorial waters. “We will proceed with drilling at our block (in the South China Sea) on a schedule established according to our technical convenience," a senior Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) executive told AFP, asking not to be named.

He added India's foreign ministry had told ONGC the area where the oil firm wished to explore was &quotvery much inside Vietnam's territory."

(...) [artículo aquí]

No comments: