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2018-05-18 08:30:00

SOUTH CHINA SEA DRILLING

SOUTH CHINA SEA DRILLING

REUTERSRosneft Vietnam BV, a unit of Russian state oil firm Rosneft, is concerned that its recent drilling in an area of the South China Sea that is claimed by China could upset Beijing, two sources with direct knowledge of the situation told Reuters on Wednesday.

Rosneft said on Tuesday its Vietnamese unit had started drilling at the LD-3P well, part of the Lan Do "Red Orchid" offshore gas field in Block 06.1, 370 kms (230 miles) southeast of Vietnam. The block is "within the area outlined by China's nine-dash line," according to energy consultancy and research firm Wood Mackenzie.

When asked about the Reuters report of the drilling, China's foreign ministry spokesman said that no country, organisation, company or individual can, without the permission of the Chinese government, carry out oil and gas exploration or exploitation activities in waters under Chinese jurisdiction.

"We urge relevant parties to earnestly respect China's sovereign and jurisdictional rights and not do anything that could impact bilateral relations or this region's peace and stability," the spokesman, Lu Kang, told a regular news briefing on Thursday.

China's U-shaped "nine-dash line" marks a vast expanse of the South China Sea that it claims, including large swathes of Vietnam's Exclusive Economic Zone. Maps of the area indicate the block is around 85 kms (53 miles) inside the contested area.

A series of dashes, the line is not continuous making China's claims often ambiguous. In recent years, though, China has increasingly patrolled and enforced the area, claiming historic rights to the resources and features within it.

In March, Vietnam halted an oil drilling project in the nearby "Red Emperor" block following pressure from China, sources told Reuters.

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Vietnam's maritime oil and gas operations are in accordance with international law and conducted in waters in which it has total sovereignty, the country's foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

Rosneft Vietnam BV, a unit of Russian state oil firm Rosneft (ROSN.MM), is concerned that its recent drilling in an area of the South China Sea that is claimed by China could upset Beijing, two sources with direct knowledge of the situation told Reuters on Wednesday.

"As we have repeatedly asserted, all of Vietnam's maritime economic activities, including oil and gas activities, have been licensed and carried out in maritime zones entirely under Vietnamese sovereignty and jurisdiction," foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang told Reuters in a statement.

Vietnam's oil and gas activities are conducted in accordance with the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, Hang said.

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Earlier:

 SOUTH CHINA SEA TENSION
2018, April, 4, 09:20:00

SOUTH CHINA SEA TENSION

BLOOMBERG - Vietnam’s state-owned oil company said South China Sea tensions will hurt oil and gas exploration and efforts to attract foreign investment to offshore fields.

 SOUTH CHINA SEA OIL
2018, March, 5, 11:25:00

SOUTH CHINA SEA OIL

REUTERS - Any deal between the Philippines and a Chinese firm to jointly explore for gas in the Reed Bank of the South China Sea will be illegal unless China recognizes the southeast Asian nation’s sovereign rights there, a Philippine judge said on Monday.

 SOUTH CHINA CEA CALM
2017, November, 13, 10:40:00

SOUTH CHINA CEA CALM

Vietnam’s state television said Chinese President Xi Jinping had told Vietnam’s General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong he wanted to work with Southeast Asian nations on a code of conduct in the sea. China’s Xinhua news agency said China and Vietnam had agreed to properly handle maritime issues and strive to maintain peace and stability.

 SOUTH CHINA SEA LNG
2017, November, 3, 12:15:00

SOUTH CHINA SEA LNG

The South China Sea is a major route for liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade, and in 2016, almost 40% of global LNG trade, or about 4.7 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), passed through the South China Sea.

 SOUTH CHINA SEA GAS
2017, May, 19, 12:35:00

SOUTH CHINA SEA GAS

China's attempt to test marine natural gas hydrates, a future energy source, has turned out to be a success, making it the first country to secure continuous and stable gas supply in marine gas hydrate exploitation, according to the Ministry of Land and Resources.

 SOUTH CHINA SEA SOVEREIGNTY
2017, April, 6, 18:45:00

SOUTH CHINA SEA SOVEREIGNTY

China claims almost all of a large stretch of sea between Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam and Japan. The trouble is, between them, these seven other states all do too.

 SOUTH CHINA SEA TALKS
2017, February, 8, 18:45:00

SOUTH CHINA SEA TALKS

China is committed to having talks with the parties directly involved, and in accordance with historical facts and international law to peacefully resolve the issue, and that position will not change, Wang said.

Tags: CHINA, VIETNAM, RUSSIA, ROSNEFT