A Chinese oil rig whose deployment to waters claimed by Vietnam early this month triggered a rupture in ties has a good chance of finding enough gas to put the area into production, Chinese industry experts said.
That would give China its first viable energy field in the disputed South China Sea, and create a source of friction with Vietnam for years to come.
For now, Beijing has said nothing about the area's potential. The first round of drilling is complete, the rig operator said on Tuesday, without giving any results from the tapped wells.