India shrugs off China warnings on oil exploration Options

[lite]

this is what i was talking about. i was afraid that, if china did not respond forcefully to provocations from Vietnam and the phillipines. others will see china as a weak country that can be bullied.

India shrugs off China warnings on oil exploration
By Penny MacRae (AFP) – 4 days ago
NEW DELHI — Shrugging off Chinese warnings, India's state-run oil firm 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 "indisputable 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 "very much inside Vietnam's territory."

ONGC is expected to resume drilling next year at one of its two blocks in the mineral and fuel-rich South China Sea, where Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei also have claims.

The Indian statement came a day after Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said oil and gas exploration activities carried out by a foreign company without the approval of China were illegal and invalid.

India, worried about encirclement by Chinese interests in the South Asian region, has been cooperating with Vietnam since the early 1990s as part of its "Look East policy" aimed at expanding ties with its eastern neighbours.

"This (oil exploration) is one important area of cooperation with Vietnam and we would like this area of cooperation to grow," India's foreign affairs spokesman Vishnu Prakash said earlier this month.

India's oil exploration projects in two Vietnamese blocks in the South China Sea were in line with "international laws," he added.

But the Chinese state-run Global Times, in a hard hitting editorial, has said Vietnam's efforts to bring in foreign companies to explore for oil amount to a "serious political provocation".

"China does not like being defied," Indian defence analyst Rahul Bedi told AFP.

At the same time, he said, India "does not yet have the military capability if it comes to a confrontation in the South China Sea on these oil blocks."

A Chinese warship was reported several weeks ago to have confronted an Indian naval vessel in waters off Vietnam and demanded its identity amid regional concern over Beijing's growing maritime assertiveness.

New Delhi has confirmed contact was made with its ship, but has rejected the suggestion of a confrontation.

Meanwhile the Philippines said Friday it had made headway in its bid to form a united front with its Southeast Asian neighbours against what it calls China's "illegal" grab of most of the South China Sea.

A meeting of delegates from Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed that the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea should be the framework to resolve territorial disputes, Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Esteban Conejos said.

The delegates also endorsed an interim Philippine plan to ease tensions, which calls for identifying disputed areas, Conejos said.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...457350cf9e0.311

[togepi]

Why doesn't everyone just learn to share it?

[Banzai]

How much do you know about the Spratly islands Mr. Togepi. Not even the most ardent Chinese nationalist (like myself) know much about each claimants historical claim to the islands, so it's better to shut up and leave China's exclusive sphere of influence to China herself!

This isn't called the "Sea of Togepi" it's called the Sea of CHINA. It's China's lake, you don't see China meddling in the Carribean or off the coast of California do you? Mind your own business.

This post has been edited by Banzai: Sep 28 2011, 07:58 AM

[chutzpah]

Not even the most ardent Chinese nationalist (like myself)

Hi Banzai, why do you use the Japanese term Banzai instead of Wansui, just wondering.

[Banzai]

If Wansui is available, I'll choose it next time. I choose Banzai because it was available.

This post has been edited by Banzai: Sep 28 2011, 08:32 AM

[togepi]

How much do you know about the Spratly islands Mr. Togepi. Not even the most ardent Chinese nationalist (like myself) know much about each claimants historical claim to the islands, so it's better to shut up and leave China's exclusive sphere of influence to China herself!

This isn't called the "Sea of Togepi" it's called the Sea of CHINA. It's China's lake, you don't see China meddling in the Carribean or off the coast of California do you? Mind your own business.

The fairest way to solve this dispute is to take those islands under UN control and keep them under the UN until each nation with a claim submits credible historical evidence so that the matter can be solved diplomatically. I don't want to see a war in the South China Sea.

In the meantime, each nation in that area would entitled to drill for oil and fish in their Exclusive Economic Zone.

Don't you think it's a little excessive the extent of China's sea territory claim? We have to consider the rights of the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia. China's claim is breaching several EEZs which are very close to those nations (look at how close it is to Malaysia).

This post has been edited by togepi: Sep 28 2011, 08:52 AM

[chutzpah]

If Wansui is available, I'll choose it next time. I choose Banzai because it was available.

Ah so....

The fairest way to solve this dispute is to take those islands under UN control and keep them under the UN until each nation with a claim submits credible historical evidence so that the matter can be solved diplomatically. I don't want to see a war in the South China Sea.

But the UN lacks credibility to resolve any issue. Everyone knows the UN is divided into several blocks where each block will ensure to safeguard their own interest.

This post has been edited by chutzpah: Sep 28 2011, 09:20 AM

[fireplant]

togepl doesn't know anything and he doesn't want to know anything. He just can't help himself from lecturing China.

[chutzpah]

fireplant, is Guose Tianxiang a CCTV drama series?

[fireplant]

^It was broadcast on local stations. Got top rating in Hubei I think. It's on the local Chinese station in the bay area. It's on youtube too.

[togepi]

togepl doesn't know anything and he doesn't want to know anything. He just can't help himself from lecturing China.

So you think the China claim that comes very close to the coast of Malaysia, Philippines and Brunei is truly fair to those countries?

What about the claim that Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines have? They should also be taken into account.

How would you like it if the US or India or Japan claimed sea territory 10 miles from the coast of China?

[fireplant]

^then you have no objections that Japan wanted to take Philippines from USA, because it was closer? What about Guam? who do you think should own Guam?

Ah, you're from London. What a sympathetic person you must be! Time to put it into practice in Malvinas.

This post has been edited by fireplant: Sep 28 2011, 03:59 PM

[togepi]

I don't think you can compare the South China Sea disputes to that.

The people in the Falklands/Malvinas want to remain under the rule of the United Kingdom, not Argentina.

As long as they want to remain under British rule, the UK has a duty to defend them. If they want to become Argentinian, I have no objection to allowing them to determine that for themselves.

The issue of SCS disputes is different. There are no people living on these rocks in the sea. No one was particularly interested in these rocks until oil and gas was discovered there.

On the issue of Guam: the people of Guam should determine their circumstances. I don't think the US should be maintaining naval bases around the world if it is against the wishes of the people. I don't agree with imperialism.

[fireplant]

^ there are people that make their living in SCS. Historically they were always Chinese.

Maybe you personally value the choice of inhabitants, that's just one value system. Your own country did not always respect those values. Look up something called "Indian Insurrection". And what if Argentina paid Malvinians to accept Argentine citizenship? Would you respect their choice to join Argentina? Or would that excuse no longer be convenient when your own sovereignty is at stake?

Chinese value our historical claims over SCS. You can argue the nine dotted lines, but there's little doubt the Spratlies and Paracels were handed to China as part of the post ww2 international system. No one except *China* was interested in SCS until oil and gas were discovered in the 70's. China was the first occupy the main base in Spratlies in 1946, after Japanese were kicked out.

What's the next arrogant thing you will say?

This post has been edited by fireplant: Sep 28 2011, 08:22 PM

[Mauser]

^It was broadcast on local stations. Got top rating in Hubei I think. It's on the local Chinese station in the bay area. It's on youtube too.

Is it on Sinovision as well? From 9:00- 10:00 Eastern Time?