China to start drilling in disputed area
According to Maritime Safety Administration of the People’s Republic of China, CNOOC 981 rig will be drilling oil in the South China Sea from May 4, 2014 to August 4, 2014. The said location is near a disputed area between China and Vietnam.
This was announced over the weekend by China. Vietnam angrily reacted with China’s announcement saying it is illegal.
“All foreign activities in Vietnam’s seas without Vietnam’s permission are illegal and invalid… Vietnam resolutely protests them,” Vietnam’s foreign ministry said. Hanoi had protested China’s seizing of Hoang Sa (in Vietnam) or Xisha (in China) way back 1974. As defined by the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, said area belongs to Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone.
China’s aggressive behaviors in the South and East China Sea have concerned not only its neighboring countries but also the international community including US. Currently, Beijing is in dispute with Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, and Philippines.
CPP-NPA leader arrested while on summer tour – party weakens
