China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) on Wednesday invited foreign oil companies to participate in nine blocks in the South China Sea, provoking a furious backlash from Vietnam, which lays claim to the waters in which the acreage lies (OD Dec.7’11). The blocks cover a total area of more than 160,000 sq km in water depths ranging from 300 meters to 4,000 meters, state-run CNOOC said, adding that interested parties would be able to view data on the acreage until the next batch of offshore blocks is auctioned next year. CNOOC makes blocks available for foreign participation on an annual basis.
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