Chinese-Vietnamese Oil & Gas Agreement Seen as Political Posturing

[Yusuf]

Chinese-Vietnamese Oil & Gas Agreement Seen as Political Posturing - See more at: http://www.energytribune.com/78167/...n-as-political-posturing#sthash.icjuu5Ti.dpuf

 

[TrueSpirit]

Reading it now....

 

[TrueSpirit]

Some interesting excerpts:

To date, no commercially exploitable reserves have been found despite 3D seismic survey work and the drilling of one exploration well

The relations between China and Vietnam are so bad at the moment that political leadership in Hanoi in particular is looking for ways to assuage public anxieties and this is one way of saying to ordinary Vietnamese people that things are not as bad as they seem, like 'Look we are cooperating on certain issues,' " he said

Carl Thayer, a professor at the Australian Defence Force Academy and a Southeast Asian studies scholar, agrees that the Vietnamese leadership is trying to extract domestic political benefit from this. "Vietnam is at pains to cooperate with and show superficial deference to Beijing in exchange for repeated assurances that China will not use force or coercion to settle their territorial disputes," he said.

Asked what would happen if the China-Vietnam consortium discovered oil or gas, Pant said that the "real issues" would emerge once oil or gas is found."It is highly unlikely to be a win-win situation and the anxieties that Hanoi is presently trying to brush under the carpet will become evident. This is merely window dressing for the much more substantive differences that are bubbling under the surface," he said.

 

[amoy]

"Vietnam will cooperate with China in the Gulf of Tonkin even to the extent of joint development while protesting every Chinese action that impinges of Vietnamese fishermen operating in waters off the Paracel Islands," he said.

- See more at: Chinese-Vietnamese Oil & Gas Agreement Seen as Political Posturing - Energy TribuneEnergy Tribune

This has limited the scope of cooperation.

The Gulf of Tonkin

Bach Long Vi Island (Chinese Bailongwei) was ceded to Vietnam by China during Vietnam War though with Chinese residents then.

 

[TrueSpirit]

Anyway, co-operating over a constructive project is anyday better than bickering over historical claims, that no one gives two hoots.