HD-981 drilling rig may cause tensions to flare up again

Regarding China's re-deployment of the Haiyang Shiyou-981 (HD-981) drilling rig into the undemarcated waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on January 19 commented that the location of China's drilling rig could lead to a resurgence of tensions in Vietnam-China relations as happened in mid-2014.

China illegally placed a drilling rig in Vietnam's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. (Photo: VNA)

The newspaper said it had contacted Chinese Foreign Ministry officials but had not received a response.

The location of the HD-981 rig is currently believed to be between the coast of Vietnam and China's Hainan Island, and WSJ has not been able to independently verify this information.

On Vietnam's side, on January 19, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Hai Binh stated that Vietnam is concerned and requested that China withdraw the Haiyang 981 drilling rig from the area outside the Gulf of Tonkin.

Previously, on January 18, a representative of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs met with a representative of the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi to clearly state Vietnam's concerns about China moving the Haiyang Shiyou 981 drilling rig to the above location.

The Foreign Ministry Spokesperson affirmed: "This is an overlapping area between the continental shelf of central Vietnam and the continental shelf of China's Hainan Island, an area that has not been delimited by the two sides."

"Vietnam demands that China not conduct drilling activities and withdraw the Haiyang Shiyou 981 rig from this area; at the same time, Vietnam reserves all its legal rights and interests in this area in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and relevant international practices," Mr. Le Hai Binh stated.

According to VIETNAM+