We have genuine interests in peace and stability in South China Sea: India

In the midst of a major standoff between Vietnam and China in the South China sea, India Thursday said it has "genuine and legitimate" interests in peace and stability in the region. On July 4, Chinese survey vessel Haiyang Dizhi 8, escorted by a large number of ships began marine seismic surveys near several offshore oil blocks, which according to Vietnam, fall within its exclusive economic zone.

Vietnamese diplomatic sources said the Chinese ships came close to areas where India's ONGC has oil exploration projects. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India's oil exploration projets were going on in the area.

"We have genuine and legitimate interests in the peace, stability and predictability of access to the major waterways in the region," he said. India has been supporting freedom of navigation and access to resources in the South China Sea in accordance with principles of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The South China Sea is important as 55 per cent of India's trade passes through it. "I do not think there has been any stoppage to our oil exploration," Kumar said, when asked about status of Indian oil exploration in the area in the wake of tensions between China and Vietnam.

The Chinese action triggered the biggest confrontation between the two neighbours since 2014. An attempt by China in 2014 to drill oil in the Paracel islands, claimed by Vietnam, had led to anti-China riots in Vietnam in which several Chinese factories were vandalised. The sources said China had deployed as many as 35 ships to escort Haiyang Dizhi 8, a ship operated by the China Geological Survey.

Last week, Vietnam briefed India about the current situation in South China sea as it is a major stakeholder and a key player in the region. China claims sovereignty over all of South China Sea, a huge source of hydrocarbons. However, several ASEAN member countries, including Vietnam, Philippines and Brunei, have counter claims.

China has been objecting to India's oil exploration projects in the Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea. A spokesperson of Vietnam's Foreign Ministry said in Hanoi last week that the country is determined to safeguard its sovereignty and jurisdiction in the South China sea in accordance with international laws.

Besides India, Vietnam has also reached out to the US, Russia, Australia and several other leading players against the Chinese action which appeared to be aimed at disrupting oil exploration projects in Vietnam's waters, sources said.