We're calling on other parties to stop searching for the possibility

"We're calling on other parties to stop searching for the possibility of exploiting resources in these areas where China has its claims," he told reporters.

He said China is open to engaging other countries in joint oil and gas exploration.

Asked what would happen if countries defy China, Liu said that Beijing would assert its right over the disputed region diplomatically. "We will never use force unless we are attacked," he said.

In Vietnam, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Nga said in a press briefing Thursday that a Chinese fishing boat supported by two patrol vessels that morning damaged the exploration cable of the seismic survey boat operated by state-owned PetroVietnam.

She said the actions of the Chinese boats were "completely premeditated" and "seriously violating Vietnam's sovereign rights."



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