India’s South China Sea Gambit Redux

India’s interest in the South China Sea is getting more
attention. Last year, The Times of India reported
that India’s
offshore Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Videsh would work with Vietnam
to jointly explore for oil and natural gas resources in the South China Sea.
Despite warnings from China – which has made sovereign claims to the entire
South China Sea and its energy resources – India and Vietnam have pressed ahead
with joint development, leading to increased tensions between China, India and
Vietnam.

Last Friday, Vietnam lodged a complaint with China when two
Chinese fishing boats reportedly blocked a Vietnamese seismic survey vessel
that caused
the ship’s cables to snap. The latest episode is just another in a string
of incidents where Chinese fishing boats have blocked attempts by Vietnam and
other countries to survey for natural gas and oil deposits. (Track these
incidents using the CNAS Flashpoint timeline feature here.) The latest incident
also comes on the heels of an announcement from China’s Hainan Province last
week warning that provincial police
would be permitted to board and search vessels violating China’s
territorial waters, including in contested areas.

In response to the most recent attempt by Chinese fishermen
to block Vietnam’s seismic surveying, Vietnamese officials said that the government
would step up defensive patrols, including deploying marine police, to protect
against future Chinese encroachment. India seemed to respond in kind, according
to a New York Times report, saying “it
would consider sending navy vessels to protect its interests in the South China
Sea.”

read more

www.cnas.org