China says oil ship operating near Vietnam waters (fwd)

[AnHai Doan <anhai@cs.washington.edu>]

Subject: China says oil ship operating near Vietnam waters
  	  				 
	 BEIJING, March 17 (Reuter) - Chinese oil officials said on  
Monday that an oil exploration ship was operating in waters near 
Vietnam but sovereignty over the area was ill defined. 
	 ``This is our vessel,'' said an official when asked about  
the ship that has triggered protests from Hanoi. ``The problem 
is the border has not been mutually agreed on.'' 
	 An oil official told Reuters the Kan Tan III was a seismic  
exploration vessel. He declined to give further details. 
	 Vietnam has called on Beijing to stop drilling for oil in an  
area close to the disputed Spratly islands and its coastguard 
has sent repeated warnings to Chinese vessels nearby, the 
official Vietnam News Agency said on Sunday. 
	 The agency said the Chinese oil rig had seriously violated  
Vietnam's sovereignty over its exclusive economic zone and 
continental shelf. 
	 A letter of protest had been lodged with the Chinese embassy  
in Hanoi on March 10, it said.