中國與越南在南海衝突漸升溫

Recently the NHK News on-line reported the following:

中国の大手国有企業が、ベトナム沖の南シナ海で、石油や天然ガスの資源開発を外国企業と共同で進めようと計画していることが分かり、ベトナム政府が猛反発して両国の対立が再び深まっています。

中国の国有企業、「中国海洋石油」は、石油や天然ガスの開発のために、ベトナムの近海におよそ１６万平方キロメートルの区域を設定し、外国企業に対して国際入札による共同探査や開発への参加を呼びかけています。
これについてベトナムの国営石油ガス公社のハウ総裁は、２７日、記者会見し、「鉱区はベトナムの排他的経済水域の中にあり、中国側の行為は違法だ」と述べ、強く抗議しました。
ベトナム政府は、今回設定された鉱区は、中国とベトナムが長年、領有権を争っている海域よりさらにベトナム寄りで、すでにベトナムが外国企業との共同開発に向けて探査活動を行っている海域と重なっていると主張しています。
これに対して中国外務省は「正常な企業活動だ」と反論したうえで、「関係する海域での石油や天然ガスの権利を侵害しないよう望む」としています。
また、中国国家海洋局は、南シナ海の警備のために、２６日、監視船４隻が中国の港を出発したと発表し、今後、両国の間でさらに緊張が高まることも予想されます。

(試譯文)
Upon knowing that a Chinese major state-owned enterprise would in collaboration with a foreign company make a plan in South China Sea off Vietnam to explore and develop resources of oil and natural gas, confrontation of the two countries would further deepen as the Vietnam government was responding to it strongly.

A Chinese state-owned enterprise the "China Offshore Petroleum" had designated a zone about 160,000-square kilometer adjacent to the seas in Vietnam for the exploration of oil or natural gas. They were appealing for the participation in a joint investigation and development by inviting international bids from foreign companies.

About this, President Howe of the National Petroleum Gas Public Corporation of Vietnam in a press conference on the 27th (June) said that "The extracting area is inside the exclusive economic zone of Vietnam, and that of the act of China is illegal" and protested strongly.

According to Vietnam government, the extracting area designated this time had been for a long time under sovereignty disputes between China and Vietnam. Furthermore according to the Vietnam government the extracting area had overlapped with the ocean space where Vietnam had already performed investigation activities under a joint development operation with a foreign company.

On the other hand, the China Ministry of Foreign Affairs retorted that “it is a normal corporate activity”, and supposed that “wish that their right on oil and natural gas in the concerned ocean space would not be infringed upon".

Moreover, China State Oceanic Administration announced that four patrol boats had left the harbor in China on the 26th for the defense of South China Sea. It was expected that strain between the two countries would increase further from now on.

It seems that the conflict between the two countries would continue for some time.