Vietnam, India Ink Pact on Deepwater Drilling in China Sea

摘要

Vietnam and India agreed to expand cooperation in oil and gas exploration and production in contested waters of the South China Sea, despite previous objections from China. Significantly, this development took place on the eve of the Chinese president Xi's visit to India. In 2011, the Chinese government warned ONGC that its exploration activities off the Vietnam coast were illegal and violated China's sovereignty, but the company has continued its activities in Vietnam. China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, where Block 127 and 128 are located.