Terming the South China Sea as a disputed region, China has warned India to refrain from undertaking oil exploration in the resource-rich Vietnamese blocks in order to ensure “peace and stability” in the area.
“The area is disputed one. So we do not think that it would be good for India to do (explore oil) that,” deputy director general of Asian department in ministry of foreign affairs Sun Weidong said. Asking New Delhi not to get involved in the “disputes”, the top Chinese foreign ministry official said the sovereignty of the islands in the region was a major issue and India should not carry out oil exploration till resolution of the vexed issue.
“We want common development in the region. We hope Indian side is not involved in those disputes. We hope India would do more to ensure peace and security in the region,” Mr Sun told a group of visiting Indian journalists here.
When reminded about commercial nature of India’s oil exploration in the region having huge oil and gas reserves, Mr Sun said the issue was “very complicated” and China was trying its best to find a peaceful solution to the problem. Asked why China was objecting to India’s exploration projects in the Vietnamese oil blocs when Chinese companies were involved in carrying out infrastructure projects in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the top official in-charge of India affairs said both the issues are “totally different”.
“These are totally different issues. As far as Kashmir is concerned, we always said it was a bilateral issue and both India and Pakistan must resolve it bilaterally,” Mr Sun said. Noting that Chinese companies working in PoK are only focusing on developing the local economy of the area, Mr Sun said there was no change in China’s policy towards resolution of the Kashmir issue.
“I think they (the Chinese companies) are only focused on development of the local economy (in PoK),” he said.
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Prez foreign trips cost `205 crores
Abhishek Shukla
New Delhi, March 25

President Pratibha Patil’s wanderlust has cost the public exchequer `205 crore on her foreign visits, surpassing the record of all her predecessors.
Since assuming office as the country’s first woman President in July 2007, Ms Patil has undertaken 12 foreign trips covering 22 countries across four continents. She has four more months to go for her five-year tenure and a trip to South Africa is said to be on the anvil.
A series of RTI applications has revealed that Air India incurred over `169 crore on use of chartered aircraft, always a Boeing 747-400, on the foreign visits by Ms Patil, mostly accompanied by her family members. A visit to Bhutan was covered by a smaller jet.
A further sum of nearly `36 crore has been incurred by the ministry of external affairs on accommodation, local travel, daily allowance and “miscellaneous” expenses, according to the information provided by the ministry.
The RTI applications were filed over a period of three years during which the authorities concerned showed great reluctance to reveal information.
The ministry of defence, which pays Air India for use of chartered aircraft by the President, fended off RTI queries and provided little information.
— PTI