"The Vietnamese side should stop the unilateral development of oil and gas in the said areas and stop disturbing Chinese fishing ships so as to create a favorable atmosphere for negotiation," official Xinhua news agency quoted foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei as saying.
The censure indicating Beijing's continued hardline in the increasingly contentious waterway comes after Vietnam state-owned PetroVietnam reported that one of its exploration vessels, Binh Minh 02, had its seismic cable severed by a Chinese fishing boat near the Gulf of Tonkin last Friday.
Vietnam had threatened to send out new patrol vessels to protect its interests and guard against increasing encroachment by Chinese fishing boats in the South China Sea.
Vietnam also summoned the Chinese ambassador to protest the cable cutting.
Chinese foreign ministry reiterated that China opposed oil and gas development by other countries in the South China Sea that is contested by neighbours Vietnam and the Philippines. Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei also lay claims to parts of the sea.
In a related development, the Philippines Friday said it had put off four-way talks due next week over disputed claims to the South China Sea.
Deputy foreign ministers of Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam were scheduled to meet next Wednesday but China, which wants disputes settled bilaterally, was not invited.
"It will not happen this coming December 12... because of scheduling problems. But the parties are working on (new dates)," foreign department spokesman Raul Hernandez said.
The meeting was part of Philippine efforts to push for a multilateral solution to the row.
Tensions have been increasing over the past two years, with the Philippines and Vietnam accusing China of aggressive diplomatic tactics to stake its claims.
Hong said Vietnam had "unreasonably" expelled Chinese fishing boats from waters near China's southern Hainan province, adding that Vietnam's account was "inconsistent with the facts".
Source: http://www.baltimorenews.net/index.php/sid/211237689/scat/b8de8e630faf3631
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