Company's drilling activities are within Chinese waters: official

File photoshows the 981 drilling platform of China Oilfield Services Limited (COSL), 17nautical miles (some 31 kilometers) from Zhongjian Island of China's XishaIslands, south China sea. Yi Xianliang, Deputy Director-General of theDepartment of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Foreign Ministry of China, toldreporters on Friday that the Chinese side was "deeply surprised andshocked" by Vietnam's intensive attempts since May 2 to disrupt theChinese company's normal drilling activities in the waters off China's XishaIslands. Yi said the Chinese company's operations are completely within themandate of China's sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction, and thatVietnam's harassment of the company's normal activities has seriously violatedChina's sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction, and gravely affectedthe production and safety of China's drilling rig. "We demand theVietnamese side sincerely respect China's legitimate rights, return to arational track, immediately stop all forms of harassment and withdraw all itsvessels and personnel from the area," said the Chinese official. (Xinhua)

BEIJING,May 11 (Xinhua) -- The drilling activities of China Oilfield Services Limited(COSL) are located only 17 nautical miles (some 31 kilometers) from China'sZhongjian Island, completely within the country's territorial waters, anofficial has said.

YiXianliang, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Boundary and OceanAffairs of the Foreign Ministry of China, told reporters on Friday that the Chineseside was "deeply surprised and shocked" by Vietnam's intensiveattempts since May 2 to disrupt the Chinese company's normal drillingactivities in the waters off China's Xisha Islands.

The XishaIslands are an inherent part of China's territory and there is not any disputeabout it, said the official.

Theoperations undertaken by COSL are only 17 nautical miles from Zhongjian Island,while they are as far as 130-150 nautical miles (241-278 kilometers) fromVietnam's coastline, he said.

Yi saidChinese enterprises started operations in the area ten years ago and in thetime period from May to June 2013, a Chinese company carried outthree-dimensional seismic operations there as well.

Theongoing operations are a normal follow-up to those past operations, he added.

Yi saidthe Chinese company's operations are completely within the mandate of China'ssovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction, and that Vietnam's harassmentof the company's normal activities has seriously violated China's sovereignty,sovereign rights and jurisdiction, and gravely affected the production andsafety of China's drilling rig.

It hascaused unnecessary trouble for the China-Vietnam relationship, he added.

Facedwith the harassment, the Chinese side had to strengthen security on the spot tostop the Vietnamese side's behavior and ensure the operations as well asnavigation security.

"Wedemand the Vietnamese side sincerely respect China's legitimate rights, returnto a rational track, immediately stop all forms of harassment and withdraw allits vessels and personnel from the area," said the Chinese official.