Indian exploration in Vietnam oil blocks within norms: Vietnam

NEW DELHI: Asserting that China's opposition to India undertaking oil exploration in Vietnamese blocks was not in accordance with UN norms, Vietnam today said the blocks are well within its sovereign territory.

Maintaining that Vietnam will only explore in areas accepted by international community and that the oil block that India has been exploring is within 200 nautical miles of Vietnam's sovereignty, Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhana said, "I can tell you that there is no dispute in sovereignty and territory of this area".

Asked if China's opposition was wrong, the deputy Prime Minister said, "The opposition of China is just business of China...is not in accordance with the international convention that China is a signatory".

"Vietnam and other countries including China have signed a Convention on the Law of Sea in United Nations in 1982. And, therefore, Vietnam has the rights and claims its territory over 200 nautical miles in these areas," Nguyen, who is on a visit to India, told reporters here.

China has been opposing India undertaking exploration in the Vietnamese blocks on the ground that the area is disputed.

"The area is disputed one. So we do not think that it would be good for India to do (explore oil) that," Deputy Director General of Asian Department in Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sun Weidong had said recently.

He also underlined that China's stand is not in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.