China optimistic on solving sea dispute

China optimistic on solving sea dispute

BEIJING (AFP): Beijing's foreign ministry yesterday voiced optimism that China would be able to resolve a maritime dispute with Vietnam, and announced plans for a vice-ministerial meeting on the issue next week.

Expert-level negotiators from China and Vietnam completed two days of talks in Beijing Thursday aimed at resolving a dispute over China's deployment of an exploratory oil rig in a disputed sea area on March 7.

"The meeting was held in a very good atmosphere and the two sides had friendly and frank discussions," a ministry official said.

"We think this issue should be handled by the two countries concerned and we are quite confident that we will be able to solve it."

The Chinese official, who requested anonymity, said the China- ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) meeting scheduled for April 17 to April 19 in eastern China, would provide a further opportunity for at least vice-minister level discussions of the issue.

"The Vietnamese vice foreign minister (Vu Khoan) will attend the ASEAN meeting next week so I think that Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Tang Jaixuan should be able to talk with him (on this issue)," the official said.

"As for whether this issue will be raised at the senior officials meeting, this is not a forum to discuss bilateral issues, but whatever questions are raised at the meeting, the Chinese side will be happy to express their position."

The Kantan III rig -- which was withdrawn shortly before the talks -- was drilling in a disputed zone just south of the Gulf of Tonkin, which is almost halfway between the central-Vietnamese coast and the Chinese island of Hainan.

The zone is believed to be rich in natural gas.

China and Vietnam have twice run into territorial disputes in the South China Sea, first in 1974 over the Paracel islands and again in 1988 over the Spratly Islands.

Further trouble brewed when China signed an exploration agreement with the U.S.-based Crestone Energy Corp in 1992 to drill for oil near the Spratlys.

The oil-rich Spratly Islands are claimed wholly or in part by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam which are all ASEAN members.