Vietnam Drills in Disputed Waters

摘要

Vietnam has allowed drilling to go ahead off its southeastern coast in waters contested by China, according to ship-tracking data. The Deepsea Metro I drillship has been operating since late last month in offshore Block 136-03, which Vietnam earlier awarded to Talisman Energy (now part of Repsol). But the acreage overlaps an area held by China's Brightoil. The move follows a trip to Hanoi in June by a senior Chinese general that was hastily cut short, resulting in the cancellation of a planned meeting about border defenses between Vietnam and China.