Despite China's objections to Indian oil exploration in South China Sea, Vietnam has been asserting that India has the right to pursue oil exploration there as they were within Vietnamese “exclusive economic zone”.
The remarks come in the midst of continuing Indian oil exploration projects in Vietnamese oil blocks in South China Sea.
Significantly, Vietnam has also extended an exploration contract in a crucial oil block 128 to ONGC Videsh Ltd despite the Indian oil major indicating that it wanted to terminate operations as it could not explore oil due to hard sea bed.
Vietnamese decision came as it wanted to hold on to Indian presence in the oil-rich South China Sea which is witnessing increasing Chinese assertiveness.
