This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/20/world/asia/china-plans-to-send-second-oil-rig-to-waters-near-vietnam.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| In Push to Assert Rights, China Plans to Send 2nd Oil Rig to Waters Near Vietnam | In Push to Assert Rights, China Plans to Send 2nd Oil Rig to Waters Near Vietnam |
| (2 months later) | |
| HANOI, Vietnam — The day after tough talks between Vietnam and China that made no progress over a Chinese oil rig in the South China Sea, the Chinese government said Thursday it was sending a second rig to waters close to Vietnam. | |
| The move, announced on China’s Maritime Safety Administration website, appeared to be a signal that China will press ahead to secure what it sees as its rights in the commercially and strategically vital waterway amid rising anxiety in the region. | The move, announced on China’s Maritime Safety Administration website, appeared to be a signal that China will press ahead to secure what it sees as its rights in the commercially and strategically vital waterway amid rising anxiety in the region. |
| Last month, in a contentious move, China sent its biggest oil rig, a prized $1 billion platform the size of a football field, to explore in an area 17 miles off the Paracel Islands claimed by both Vietnam and China. In what may be a more lasting act, China began shoveling sand and rock onto shoals and reefs in the Spratly archipelago, which is also contested, several months ago to create islands big enough to house buildings and surveillance equipment. | Last month, in a contentious move, China sent its biggest oil rig, a prized $1 billion platform the size of a football field, to explore in an area 17 miles off the Paracel Islands claimed by both Vietnam and China. In what may be a more lasting act, China began shoveling sand and rock onto shoals and reefs in the Spratly archipelago, which is also contested, several months ago to create islands big enough to house buildings and surveillance equipment. |
| The dispatch of the second rig, described by its owner, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, as the second-largest in its growing fleet of rigs, began Wednesday, according to an announcement by the maritime administration. The rig, which is being towed from a site south of Hainan Island in China’s most southern province, is expected to reach its new location in waters near the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin by Friday, the announcement said. | The dispatch of the second rig, described by its owner, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, as the second-largest in its growing fleet of rigs, began Wednesday, according to an announcement by the maritime administration. The rig, which is being towed from a site south of Hainan Island in China’s most southern province, is expected to reach its new location in waters near the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin by Friday, the announcement said. |
| It was not immediately clear if the second rig would end up in waters disputed by Vietnam and China. The commander of the Vietnamese Coast Guard, Nguyen Quang Dam, said the coordinates released by China showed that the oil rig would be positioned just inside China’s continental shelf. China sent rigs to the same general area five years ago, the general said in an interview Thursday with Vietnam Express, a state-run newspaper. | It was not immediately clear if the second rig would end up in waters disputed by Vietnam and China. The commander of the Vietnamese Coast Guard, Nguyen Quang Dam, said the coordinates released by China showed that the oil rig would be positioned just inside China’s continental shelf. China sent rigs to the same general area five years ago, the general said in an interview Thursday with Vietnam Express, a state-run newspaper. |
| Still, he said, the Coast Guard was “prepared to deal with any situation.” | Still, he said, the Coast Guard was “prepared to deal with any situation.” |
| The coordinates suggested that the rig’s final position would be right on or close to the equidistant line between Vietnam and Hainan, according to Holly Morrow, a fellow of the Geopolitics of Energy Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard. | The coordinates suggested that the rig’s final position would be right on or close to the equidistant line between Vietnam and Hainan, according to Holly Morrow, a fellow of the Geopolitics of Energy Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard. |
| The muted response from Hanoi on Thursday might indicate that the authorities were still trying to ascertain where the rig would end up, Ms. Morrow said. | The muted response from Hanoi on Thursday might indicate that the authorities were still trying to ascertain where the rig would end up, Ms. Morrow said. |
| She said it would not be surprising if China deliberately drilled in both disputed and undisputed waters to underscore the point that, from China’s point of view, all the drilling was normal activity. | She said it would not be surprising if China deliberately drilled in both disputed and undisputed waters to underscore the point that, from China’s point of view, all the drilling was normal activity. |
| The parking of the first rig in early May to a position 120 miles off the shore of Vietnam and near one of the Paracel Islands set off a storm of protest by Vietnam, and sent relations between China and Vietnam plummeting to their lowest point in decades. | The parking of the first rig in early May to a position 120 miles off the shore of Vietnam and near one of the Paracel Islands set off a storm of protest by Vietnam, and sent relations between China and Vietnam plummeting to their lowest point in decades. |
| China and Vietnam fought a land border war in 1979; in 1974, China took possession of islands in the Paracel chain then occupied by South Vietnam. | China and Vietnam fought a land border war in 1979; in 1974, China took possession of islands in the Paracel chain then occupied by South Vietnam. |
| The simmering hostility to China in Vietnam erupted after the arrival of the first rig, igniting riots in several cities. A number of factories thought by the rioters to be Chinese-owned were destroyed, though in fact many were owned by proprietors based in Taiwan. Four Chinese people were killed, and China evacuated several thousand workers. | The simmering hostility to China in Vietnam erupted after the arrival of the first rig, igniting riots in several cities. A number of factories thought by the rioters to be Chinese-owned were destroyed, though in fact many were owned by proprietors based in Taiwan. Four Chinese people were killed, and China evacuated several thousand workers. |
| From the tone of the statement by China’s Foreign Ministry after talks between China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, and the leadership here on Wednesday, Mr. Yang appears to have lectured the Vietnamese on China’s indisputable rights in the South China Sea, and in particular, to the Paracel Islands. The Chinese statement denied that there was any dispute to discuss. | From the tone of the statement by China’s Foreign Ministry after talks between China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, and the leadership here on Wednesday, Mr. Yang appears to have lectured the Vietnamese on China’s indisputable rights in the South China Sea, and in particular, to the Paracel Islands. The Chinese statement denied that there was any dispute to discuss. |
| The Vietnamese told Mr. Yang that they wanted to hold international negotiations on the Paracels and the surrounding waters and called for the application of the Convention on the Law of the Sea. China has said it would not consider such talks. | The Vietnamese told Mr. Yang that they wanted to hold international negotiations on the Paracels and the surrounding waters and called for the application of the Convention on the Law of the Sea. China has said it would not consider such talks. |