BEIJING, March 25 � 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, reports PTI.
�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 the 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,� Sun told a group of visiting Indian journalists here.
When reminded about the commercial nature of India�s oil exploration in the region having huge oil and gas reserves, Sun said the issue was �very complicated� and China was trying its best to find a peaceful solution to the problem.
