A spat between China and Vietnam over energy rights in the South China Sea intensified on Wednesday as Vietnam's biggest company called on China to scrap its plans to develop areas near the Vietnamese shore.
The disagreement, the latest in a string of arguments over the potentially energy-rich sea, erupted earlier in the week when China National Offshore Oil Corp. said it was offering a new batch of oil-exploration blocks inside the 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone granted to Vietnam under the United Nations' Law of the Sea.
Vietnam's government quickly objected, saying the Chinese state oil firm was moving into its territorial waters. On Wednesday, state-run Vietnam Oil & Gas, or PetroVietnam, weighed in, showing how territorial claims in the sea are increasingly being backed up by powerful companies in addition to rival governments, and potentially adding new sources of tension to the conflict.
PetroVietnam Chairman Do Van Hauon Wednesday described the Chinese firm's strategy as illegal and urged it to cancel the bidding, adding that two of the blocks offered by China National Offshore Oil, known as Cnooc, overlap with those offered by PetroVietnam.
'We strongly protest Cnooc's offering to international companies and we request foreign firms not to get involved,' Mr. Hau told reporters.
Cnooc's spokesman in charge of legal affairs wasn't available to comment. At an earlier news briefing, China's Foreign Ministry said Cnooc's tender represented 'normal business activities' in line with Chinese law and international practice.
Cnooc's move is likely influenced by a desire to see how far it can press its claims in the sea rather than entirely commercial considerations, analysts and diplomats say. Few foreign firms are likely to engage in drilling in such disputed waters, especially after Vietnam's protests.
'There is no way any foreign company will go there,' said Laban Yu, head of oil and gas research at Jefferies Hong Kong Ltd., a securities and investment banking firm. 'This is just Cnooc being used by the central government to make a statement.'
An official from a third country that also has claims in the sea said the bidding announcement appeared to be designed to buttress China's territorial claims to the area while nearby countries such as Vietnam and Philippines press ahead with their own plans to drill for oil and gas in other parts of the South China Sea.
The Cnooc blocks, in water 300 to 4,000 meters (1,000 to 13,000 feet) deep, cover an area of about 160,000 square kilometers (62,000 square miles). Previously, most blocks offered for joint development by the state-owned firm were located well within Chinese waters, and mostly in shallow water.
'Either Cnooc is doing national service and helping Beijing push the boundary of the South China Sea maritime dispute, or it's doing what analysts have been calling for' and pursuing foreign help to increase the size of its reserves, said Simon Powell, head of Asian oil and gas research at CLSA.
Mr. Powell added that the resources there are more likely to be gas than oil, and thus less attractive to potential foreign partners. 'Given how low natural-gas prices are in China, the distance of these blocks from the mainland and how uneconomic it is to lay pipelines and run gas from such distances, maybe the offerings are more about politics than about earnings,' he said.
The spat looks set to further shake relations between Vietnam and China, which, while both having Communist governments, view each other with suspicion. Relations between the two countries worsened after Hanoi's legislature passed a new law last week claiming Vietnam's sovereignty over the Spratlys and Paracels archipelagos, which are also in the South China Sea.
China summoned Vietnam's ambassador to Beijing to protest the new law, which will be enacted at the beginning of next year but will have little real impact on who controls the island chains.
Some of the atolls are partially occupied by small garrisons from some of the claimant nations, including China, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Vietnam dismissed China's objections as 'absurd,' with a Foreign Ministry spokesman last week describing Vietnam's move as 'normal lawmaking activity.'
Vietnam also has objected to apparent recent Chinese moves to assert jurisdiction over portions of the South China Sea; China recently bestowed higher, prefectural-level powers upon a city in its Hainan province to administer some South China Sea islands, state media reported.
The stakes in the South China Sea have grown significantly in recent years as East Asia's energy-hungry economies roar ahead. For China, the energy resources that geologists believe to lie below its waters are means to potentially reduce its dependence on imports from the Middle East and elsewhere. The contested waters contain 28 billion to 213 billion barrels in proven and undiscovered oil resources, according to figures cited by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. It isn't clear, though, how much is easily accessible.
China, Vietnam and the Philippines all have stepped up exploration and drilling in the sea in recent years. Earlier this week, Italy's Eni SpA bought 50% stakes in two exploration blocks in Vietnamese-controlled waters. Eni's partner, Australia's Neon Energy Ltd., said Monday that Eni will carry out early technical work and finance exploratory drilling in each block. ExxonMobil Corp. also has acquired Vietnamese blocks in the South China Sea. Last October it said it found oil and gas in its second exploration well.
British-Philippine firm Forum Energy Plc, meanwhile, plans to begin drilling off Reed Bank in the Philippines' U.N.-declared waters later this year.
In addition to China and Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also claim parts of the South China Sea. The U.S. in recent years has angered China by urging multilateral talks to resolve the overlapping claims in the area, and also to ensure safe navigation for some of the world's busiest shipping lanes as China's commercial and military power grows.
本周早些时候双方突然曝出分歧，起因是中国海洋石油总公司(China National Offshore Oil Corp., 简称：中海油)宣布对外开放一批新的石油勘探区块。此次开放的这批区块位于越南宣布它依据《联合国海洋法公约》所享有的200海里专属经济区内。这是中越双方围绕可能蕴藏有丰富能源的南中国海所发生一系列争执中的最新一起。
越南政府迅速表示反对，称中海油正在将触角伸到越南的领海内。周三，越南国营企业越南石油和天然气公司(Vietnam Oil & Gas)介入此事，这显示在南中国海地区的领土诉求除得到各相关国家政府的支持外，也正日益得到一些实力强大企业的大力支持，这可能为冲突增加新的紧张因素。
越南石油和天然气公司董事长杜文后(Do Van Hau)周三称中海油此举违法，他敦促中海油取消招标。杜文后还说，中海油此次对外开放的区块中有两个和越南石油和天然气公司此前开放的区块重合。
杜文后告诉记者，我们强烈抗议中海油向外国公司开放合作勘探区块的做法，我们要求外国公司不要插足此事。
记者无法联系到中海油负责法律事务的发言人就此置评。在此前召开的例行记者会上，中国外交部发言人说，中海油公布有关油气招标区块是正常的企业行为，符合有关的中国法律和国际惯例。
分析人士和外交官说，中海油此举并非完全出于商业考虑，它可能是想通过此举检验一下它能将自己的南中国海油气权益诉求推进到何种程度。预计没有几家外国公司会在这片存在主权争议的水域从事钻探活动，尤其是在越南提出抗议之后。
美资投行Jefferies驻香港的油气研究主管Laban Yu说，外国公司不可能参与这些区块的合作开发。中国政府只是利用中海油做出对外声明。
另外一个对南中国海有主权诉求国家的一位官员说，中海油对外宣布招标区块似乎是为了支持中国对这片水域的领土要求，目前越南和菲律宾等周边国家正在南中国海其他水域加紧推进自己的油气开采计划。
中海油此次对外开放的区块水深在300至4,000米，覆盖面积大约有16万平方公里。此前，中海油对外开放的合作开发区块大都处于中国水域内，且大部分位于浅海水域。
里昂证券(CLSA)亚洲油气研究主管鲍威尔(Simon Powell)说，中海油此举要么是为国家服务，帮助中国政府扩展南中国海主权争议区的范围；要么就是在执行分析师此前呼吁应该采取的行动，即争取外国公司的帮助以扩大其油气储备规模。
鲍威尔还说，当地资源更有可能是天然气而非石油，因此对于潜在外国合作伙伴的吸引力也会比较低。他说，考虑到中国市场的天然气价格是多么低，这些区块离中国大陆的距离是多么远，以及从如此远的距离铺设管道运输天然气多么不经济，中海油的招标计划或许更多关系到政治而不是利润。
这场争端很有可能进一步动摇越南与中国的关系。这两个国家虽然都是共产党执政，但相互猜疑不断。上周河内立法机关通过一项新法，宣布同样位于南中国海的斯普拉特利群岛（中国称南沙群岛）和帕拉塞尔群岛（中国称西沙群岛）归越南所有，此后两国关系进一步恶化。
中国召见越南驻华大使抗议这部新法。新法将于明年年初生效，但对谁控制上述群岛不会有多少实质性的影响。
中国、越南和菲律宾等对这些群岛有主权要求的国家在其中部分岛屿派驻有小规模的守卫部队。
越南将中国的抗议斥为“荒谬”，其外交部发言人上周称越南的行动为“正常的立法活动”。
针对中国最近高调宣布对南中国海部分地区有司法管辖权的举动，越南也提出了抗议。据官方媒体报道，不久前，中国将海南省的一个城市升格为地级市，将部分南中国海岛屿划归该市管理。
近几年随着东亚地区几个能源需求巨大的经济体迅猛增长，南中国海的利益攸关度大大增加。对于中国来说，其管辖水域内可能蕴藏的能源可以用来降低它对中东等地区石油的依赖。据美国能源情报署(Energy Information Administration)引用的数据，争议海域含有280亿桶至2,130亿桶已探明和未探明石油资源。但不知道有多少可以容易地开采出来。
近几年中国、越南和菲律宾全都在南中国海加大了勘探和钻井力度。本周早些时候，意大利埃尼公司(Eni SpA)买下越南控制海域内两个勘探区块的50%股权。埃尼的合作伙伴、澳大利亚公司Neon Energy Ltd.周一说，埃尼将负责实施开发过程初期的技术性工作，并为每一个区块的钻探活动提供资金。埃克森美孚(ExxonMobil Corp.)也收购了越南位于南中国海的几个勘探区块。该公司去年10月表示它在第二个勘探井内找到了石油和天然气。
与此同时，英国-菲律宾合资公司Forum Energy Plc计划于今年晚些时候在礼乐滩(Reed Bank)附近水域开始钻探活动，菲律宾称它依据《联合国海洋法公约》拥有这一水域的主权。
除中国大陆和越南外，菲律宾、马来西亚、台湾和文莱也声称南海部分地区归自己所有。美国近些年一直敦促各方举行多边谈判来解决该地区主权要求重叠的问题，并在中国商贸和军事实力增强之际保证南中国海地区一些世界最繁忙航道的航行安全。这类主张惹怒了中国。
The disagreement, the latest in a string of arguments over the potentially energy-rich sea, erupted earlier in the week when China National Offshore Oil Corp. said it was offering a new batch of oil-exploration blocks inside the 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone granted to Vietnam under the United Nations' Law of the Sea.
Vietnam's government quickly objected, saying the Chinese state oil firm was moving into its territorial waters. On Wednesday, state-run Vietnam Oil & Gas, or PetroVietnam, weighed in, showing how territorial claims in the sea are increasingly being backed up by powerful companies in addition to rival governments, and potentially adding new sources of tension to the conflict.
PetroVietnam Chairman Do Van Hauon Wednesday described the Chinese firm's strategy as illegal and urged it to cancel the bidding, adding that two of the blocks offered by China National Offshore Oil, known as Cnooc, overlap with those offered by PetroVietnam.
'We strongly protest Cnooc's offering to international companies and we request foreign firms not to get involved,' Mr. Hau told reporters.
Cnooc's spokesman in charge of legal affairs wasn't available to comment. At an earlier news briefing, China's Foreign Ministry said Cnooc's tender represented 'normal business activities' in line with Chinese law and international practice.
Cnooc's move is likely influenced by a desire to see how far it can press its claims in the sea rather than entirely commercial considerations, analysts and diplomats say. Few foreign firms are likely to engage in drilling in such disputed waters, especially after Vietnam's protests.
'There is no way any foreign company will go there,' said Laban Yu, head of oil and gas research at Jefferies Hong Kong Ltd., a securities and investment banking firm. 'This is just Cnooc being used by the central government to make a statement.'
An official from a third country that also has claims in the sea said the bidding announcement appeared to be designed to buttress China's territorial claims to the area while nearby countries such as Vietnam and Philippines press ahead with their own plans to drill for oil and gas in other parts of the South China Sea.
The Cnooc blocks, in water 300 to 4,000 meters (1,000 to 13,000 feet) deep, cover an area of about 160,000 square kilometers (62,000 square miles). Previously, most blocks offered for joint development by the state-owned firm were located well within Chinese waters, and mostly in shallow water.
'Either Cnooc is doing national service and helping Beijing push the boundary of the South China Sea maritime dispute, or it's doing what analysts have been calling for' and pursuing foreign help to increase the size of its reserves, said Simon Powell, head of Asian oil and gas research at CLSA.
Mr. Powell added that the resources there are more likely to be gas than oil, and thus less attractive to potential foreign partners. 'Given how low natural-gas prices are in China, the distance of these blocks from the mainland and how uneconomic it is to lay pipelines and run gas from such distances, maybe the offerings are more about politics than about earnings,' he said.
The spat looks set to further shake relations between Vietnam and China, which, while both having Communist governments, view each other with suspicion. Relations between the two countries worsened after Hanoi's legislature passed a new law last week claiming Vietnam's sovereignty over the Spratlys and Paracels archipelagos, which are also in the South China Sea.
China summoned Vietnam's ambassador to Beijing to protest the new law, which will be enacted at the beginning of next year but will have little real impact on who controls the island chains.
Some of the atolls are partially occupied by small garrisons from some of the claimant nations, including China, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Vietnam dismissed China's objections as 'absurd,' with a Foreign Ministry spokesman last week describing Vietnam's move as 'normal lawmaking activity.'
Vietnam also has objected to apparent recent Chinese moves to assert jurisdiction over portions of the South China Sea; China recently bestowed higher, prefectural-level powers upon a city in its Hainan province to administer some South China Sea islands, state media reported.
The stakes in the South China Sea have grown significantly in recent years as East Asia's energy-hungry economies roar ahead. For China, the energy resources that geologists believe to lie below its waters are means to potentially reduce its dependence on imports from the Middle East and elsewhere. The contested waters contain 28 billion to 213 billion barrels in proven and undiscovered oil resources, according to figures cited by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. It isn't clear, though, how much is easily accessible.
China, Vietnam and the Philippines all have stepped up exploration and drilling in the sea in recent years. Earlier this week, Italy's Eni SpA bought 50% stakes in two exploration blocks in Vietnamese-controlled waters. Eni's partner, Australia's Neon Energy Ltd., said Monday that Eni will carry out early technical work and finance exploratory drilling in each block. ExxonMobil Corp. also has acquired Vietnamese blocks in the South China Sea. Last October it said it found oil and gas in its second exploration well.
British-Philippine firm Forum Energy Plc, meanwhile, plans to begin drilling off Reed Bank in the Philippines' U.N.-declared waters later this year.
In addition to China and Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also claim parts of the South China Sea. The U.S. in recent years has angered China by urging multilateral talks to resolve the overlapping claims in the area, and also to ensure safe navigation for some of the world's busiest shipping lanes as China's commercial and military power grows.
中
国和越南之间关于南中国海(South China Sea, 中国称南海)能源开采权利的争执在周三加剧。当天，越南最大的国有企业呼吁中国放弃在越南海岸附近地区开采能源的计划。本周早些时候双方突然曝出分歧，起因是中国海洋石油总公司(China National Offshore Oil Corp., 简称：中海油)宣布对外开放一批新的石油勘探区块。此次开放的这批区块位于越南宣布它依据《联合国海洋法公约》所享有的200海里专属经济区内。这是中越双方围绕可能蕴藏有丰富能源的南中国海所发生一系列争执中的最新一起。
越南政府迅速表示反对，称中海油正在将触角伸到越南的领海内。周三，越南国营企业越南石油和天然气公司(Vietnam Oil & Gas)介入此事，这显示在南中国海地区的领土诉求除得到各相关国家政府的支持外，也正日益得到一些实力强大企业的大力支持，这可能为冲突增加新的紧张因素。
杜文后告诉记者，我们强烈抗议中海油向外国公司开放合作勘探区块的做法，我们要求外国公司不要插足此事。
记者无法联系到中海油负责法律事务的发言人就此置评。在此前召开的例行记者会上，中国外交部发言人说，中海油公布有关油气招标区块是正常的企业行为，符合有关的中国法律和国际惯例。
分析人士和外交官说，中海油此举并非完全出于商业考虑，它可能是想通过此举检验一下它能将自己的南中国海油气权益诉求推进到何种程度。预计没有几家外国公司会在这片存在主权争议的水域从事钻探活动，尤其是在越南提出抗议之后。
美资投行Jefferies驻香港的油气研究主管Laban Yu说，外国公司不可能参与这些区块的合作开发。中国政府只是利用中海油做出对外声明。
另外一个对南中国海有主权诉求国家的一位官员说，中海油对外宣布招标区块似乎是为了支持中国对这片水域的领土要求，目前越南和菲律宾等周边国家正在南中国海其他水域加紧推进自己的油气开采计划。
中海油此次对外开放的区块水深在300至4,000米，覆盖面积大约有16万平方公里。此前，中海油对外开放的合作开发区块大都处于中国水域内，且大部分位于浅海水域。
里昂证券(CLSA)亚洲油气研究主管鲍威尔(Simon Powell)说，中海油此举要么是为国家服务，帮助中国政府扩展南中国海主权争议区的范围；要么就是在执行分析师此前呼吁应该采取的行动，即争取外国公司的帮助以扩大其油气储备规模。
鲍威尔还说，当地资源更有可能是天然气而非石油，因此对于潜在外国合作伙伴的吸引力也会比较低。他说，考虑到中国市场的天然气价格是多么低，这些区块离中国大陆的距离是多么远，以及从如此远的距离铺设管道运输天然气多么不经济，中海油的招标计划或许更多关系到政治而不是利润。
这场争端很有可能进一步动摇越南与中国的关系。这两个国家虽然都是共产党执政，但相互猜疑不断。上周河内立法机关通过一项新法，宣布同样位于南中国海的斯普拉特利群岛（中国称南沙群岛）和帕拉塞尔群岛（中国称西沙群岛）归越南所有，此后两国关系进一步恶化。
中国召见越南驻华大使抗议这部新法。新法将于明年年初生效，但对谁控制上述群岛不会有多少实质性的影响。
中国、越南和菲律宾等对这些群岛有主权要求的国家在其中部分岛屿派驻有小规模的守卫部队。
越南将中国的抗议斥为“荒谬”，其外交部发言人上周称越南的行动为“正常的立法活动”。
针对中国最近高调宣布对南中国海部分地区有司法管辖权的举动，越南也提出了抗议。据官方媒体报道，不久前，中国将海南省的一个城市升格为地级市，将部分南中国海岛屿划归该市管理。
近几年随着东亚地区几个能源需求巨大的经济体迅猛增长，南中国海的利益攸关度大大增加。对于中国来说，其管辖水域内可能蕴藏的能源可以用来降低它对中东等地区石油的依赖。据美国能源情报署(Energy Information Administration)引用的数据，争议海域含有280亿桶至2,130亿桶已探明和未探明石油资源。但不知道有多少可以容易地开采出来。
近几年中国、越南和菲律宾全都在南中国海加大了勘探和钻井力度。本周早些时候，意大利埃尼公司(Eni SpA)买下越南控制海域内两个勘探区块的50%股权。埃尼的合作伙伴、澳大利亚公司Neon Energy Ltd.周一说，埃尼将负责实施开发过程初期的技术性工作，并为每一个区块的钻探活动提供资金。埃克森美孚(ExxonMobil Corp.)也收购了越南位于南中国海的几个勘探区块。该公司去年10月表示它在第二个勘探井内找到了石油和天然气。
与此同时，英国-菲律宾合资公司Forum Energy Plc计划于今年晚些时候在礼乐滩(Reed Bank)附近水域开始钻探活动，菲律宾称它依据《联合国海洋法公约》拥有这一水域的主权。
除中国大陆和越南外，菲律宾、马来西亚、台湾和文莱也声称南海部分地区归自己所有。美国近些年一直敦促各方举行多边谈判来解决该地区主权要求重叠的问题，并在中国商贸和军事实力增强之际保证南中国海地区一些世界最繁忙航道的航行安全。这类主张惹怒了中国。
沒有留言:
發佈留言