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Oil exploration bids ‘legal’

The Chinese Foreign Ministry yesterday iterated the legitimacy of an oil exploration plan in the South China Sea by the country's largest offshore oil producer, which is seeking foreign partners amid ongoing disputes with Vietnam over sovereignty issues.

Publishing the areas up for public bids is a "normal business activity," which is in line with relevant Chinese laws and international practices, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei during yesterday's press briefing.

Hong's remarks came after the State-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) released an announcement on its website Monday, sending bidding invitations to foreign oil and gas companies to jointly explore nine blocks of water in the South China Sea.

The nine blocks, 300 to 4,000 meters deep, cover a total area of over 160,000 square kilometers, according to the notice. Seven of them are located in the Zhongjianan Basin and the other two are in the Wan'an and Nanweixi basins.

The move by China's oil giant has aroused dissatisfaction from Vietnam, who has also claimed sovereignty over the areas.

Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Luong Thanh Nghi said Tuesday that China's solicitation of public bids is an "illegal act" that has seriously violated Vietnam's sovereign rights, and the company should "immediately cancel" the invitation.

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http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/men....
Chinese boats back at disputed shoal, Manila says

Chinese fishing boats have returned to disputed South China Sea shoal despite an agreement to clear the area of all vessels, dashing hopes of an early resolution of a territorial rift with the Philippines, officials in Manila said on Wednesday. ...

Last modified: 2012-06-27 23:31:55 by vitchilo