Beijing/New Delhi:
Days after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao that India was going ahead with an oil exploration pact with Vietnam in the South China Sea, Beijing has made its unhappiness clear.
China's foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin was asked today if the issue was raised in Dr Singh's meeting with Premier Wen at Bali. In his reply the spokesman said, "As for the discussion on the South China Sea issue, China has expounded its positions many times. We don't hope to see outside forces involved in the South China Sea dispute and do not want to see foreign companies to engage in activities that will undermine China's sovereignty and interests."
At his meeting with Premier Wen, in Bali, on Friday, the Indian Prime Minister had stood firm that India was going ahead with the oil exploration deal. Beijing has been upset since it claims these waters as its own and is engaged in a diplomatic row with several South East Asian nations.
Dr Singh irked China further when he told the East Asia Summit on Saturday that such issues should be discussed at multilateral forums.
India's ONGC-Videsh is undertaking oil exploration in two blocks claimed by Vietnam.
India has already said that exploration of oil and gas in the South China Sea was purely a commercial activity and the dispute should be sorted out under the international laws and
practices. China for its part maintains that the dispute involving it, Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia should be resolved bilaterally with these countries.
(with PTI inputs)