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Oil giant is warned over Vietnam deal
Beijing asserts S China Sea claims
Greg Torode Chief Asia correspondent
Jul 20, 2008
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Beijing has warned the world''s biggest oil company to pull out of an exploration deal with Vietnam, and described the project as a breach of Chinese sovereignty.

Chinese diplomats in Washington have made repeated verbal protests to ExxonMobil executives in recent months, and warned them that its future business interests on the mainland could be at risk, according to sources close to the US firm.

The protests involve a preliminary co-operation agreement between state oil firm PetroVietnam and ExxonMobil covering exploration in the South China Sea off Vietnam''s south and central coasts.

The southern blocks are close to other disputed sites; Beijing protested formally to Hanoi last year about seismic work being carried out by Anglo-Dutch oil giant BP under a similar deal with Vietnam.

BP stopped work but was now poised to restart the project, BP officials said.

ExxonMobil was confident of Vietnam''s sovereign rights to the blocks it was exploring, the sources said - those off central Vietnam start at the coastline - but it could not dismiss China''s warnings out of hand.

"If it was simply a legal question it would be easy," one of the sources said. "Vietnam would probably prevail in international mediation. But it''s political, too. China''s concerns make the situation much more complicated for a company like Exxon ... China is a very important player in the international oil industry."

The Chinese envoys based their protests on Beijing''s historical claim to virtually all of the South China Sea, the source said. Both countries claim the entire Paracels and Spratlys archipelagos and much of the surrounding waters.

Vietnam bases its claims on its extensive continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone this allows it to stake out according to the United Nations'' International Law of the Sea. China''s claim is legally more vague, independent academics say.

An ExxonMobil spokesman refused to discuss any approaches from China. "ExxonMobil is evaluating a business opportunity and sovereignty is a matter only governments can address," he said.

Carl Thayer, a Vietnam-watcher at the strategic and defence studies centre of Australian National University, said Vietnam''s sovereignty was "under threat". He said Hanoi was struggling to deal with the situation.

"Chinese hard power is once again part of the equation, as far as Vietnam is concerned," he said.

China may be trying to push Vietnam towards a joint exploitation deal like the one struck with Japan in the East China Sea, he said.

Zhang Mingliang, of the institute of Southeast Asian studies at Guangzhou''s Jinan University, said China''s sovereignty in the South China Sea was indisputable and the possibility of military conflict was remote.

"The disputes between the two countries over exploration in the South China Sea are mainly due to their practical interests, security concerns and historical sentiments towards sovereignty," said Dr Zhang.

Asked about China''s approaches to ExxonMobil, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Dung said it needed to be "clearly asserted" that Hanoi''s dealings with foreign oil partners fell entirely within Vietnam''s legal rights and sovereignty.

"We welcome and facilitate foreign partners, including those from China, to co-operate in the field of oil and gas on the continental shelf of Vietnam, on the basis of complying with Vietnam''s laws," Mr Dung said.

The Foreign Ministry in Beijing was contacted by the Sunday Morning Post (SEHK: 0583, announcements, news) but has yet to comment.

Additional reporting by Shi Jiangtao