China’s Foreign Ministry on April 8 rebuffed Vietnam’s second demand this year to move a controversial oil rig and drop plans to drill in South China Sea waters where jurisdiction is unclear, saying it was engaging in normal exploration activity.
The $1-billion rig, which was at the center of a fierce diplomatic stand-off between the countries in 2014, had moved into an area of the Gulf of Tonkin over which, Vietnam said, the two countries were still “executing delineation discussions.”
“The relevant work is in undisputed Chinese waters, and it is normal commercial exploration,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news briefing. “We hope the relevant party takes an objective and reasonable view on this.”
He did not elaborate.
China claims most of the resource-rich South China Sea amid rival claims by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Two years ago, China parked the rig, the Haiyang Shiyou 981, for 10 weeks in waters Vietnam considers its exclusive economic zone, triggering its worst row in decades and an outcry among Vietnamese nationalists.
Many experts call the move a miscalculation by Beijing that played into the hands of the United States. Since the row, Vietnam has become closer to Washington than ever before.
Vietnam closely tracks the movement of the oil rig, which has operated as far away as the Bay of Bengal, and has been close to disputed waters several times since 2014.
Both of Vietnam’s protests this year against the rig’s activity have coincided with leadership changes in Hanoi.
Vietnam swore in a new prime minister on April 8 and a new president last week. Its previous complaint about the rig was in January, two days before the start of its Communist Party's five-yearly congress.
Vietnam has also criticized China’s decision to start operating a lighthouse on one of its artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago, saying it violated Vietnam's sovereignty and was illegal.
Hong said the lighthouse was a matter for China, but it had been built to improve navigational safety for all users of the South China Sea.
Recommended Reading
Oceaneering Won $200MM in Manufactured Products Contracts in Q4 2023
2024-02-05 - The revenues from Oceaneering International’s manufactured products contracts range in value from less than $10 million to greater than $100 million.
E&P Highlights: Feb. 5, 2024
2024-02-05 - Here’s a roundup of the latest E&P headlines, including an update on Enauta’s Atlanta Phase 1 project.
CNOOC’s Suizhong 36-1/Luda 5-2 Starts Production Offshore China
2024-02-05 - CNOOC plans 118 development wells in the shallow water project in the Bohai Sea — the largest secondary development and adjustment project offshore China.
TotalEnergies Starts Production at Akpo West Offshore Nigeria
2024-02-07 - Subsea tieback expected to add 14,000 bbl/d of condensate by mid-year, and up to 4 MMcm/d of gas by 2028.
US Drillers Add Oil, Gas Rigs for Third Time in Four Weeks
2024-02-09 - Despite this week's rig increase, Baker Hughes said the total count was still down 138 rigs, or 18%, below this time last year.