Vietnam Offers to Extend India's Contract for Gas Block in South China Sea

Vietnam has offered to extend India's contract for a gas block in the South China Sea for two more years, raising the prospect of India getting embroiled in the territorial disputes of that region with China, Times of India has reported. The said Block 128 falls within the overlapping claims of China and Vietnam.

Beijing has recently heightened tension by getting its energy major, CNOOC, to give out several blocks for exploration in the same.

Times of India report said that India's OVL had decided to get out of Block 128 in June after their surveys showed that there was little prospect of gas in that area.

However, with Vietnam running into political problems with China over sovereignty, Hanoi decided to extend India's presence in the area as a hedging tactic.

Now, OVL has two years to scout for gas in a place, where competing territorial claims between China and Vietnam might complicate issues for India, despite India's long-standing presence in the region, the report said.