China has moved a second oil rig closer to Vietnam's coast today, just a couple of days after the two nations held bilateral talks to resolve their row over China's drilling operation in the disputed waters of the South China sea.

The Nanhai 9 platform, the second oil rig, has been launched from Hainan island on June 18 and is headed southwest with a speed of four knots (7.4 kilometers per hour), China's Maritime Safety Administration said.

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In a briefing held today, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the rig is still in the coastal waters of China, Bloomberg relayed.

On May 2, China towed an oil rig in waters that are also claimed by Vietnam, an area near the Paracel Islands. This move led to an encounter between the two nations' coast guard vessels that sunk a Vietnamese fishing boat.

When asked about the second oil rig, Hua insisted that the Nanhai 9 is still in the coastal waters near Hainan and Guangdong province. She also gave assurance that "there won't be any issue" this time.

Yesterday, the Maritime Safety Administration posted notices indicating that there are three other rigs scattered across the South China Sea. Hua said those oil rigs are also within Chinese coastal territory.

Meanwhile, Vietnam Foreign Minister Pham Bihn Minh was in talks with China's State Councilor Yang Jiechi on June 18. Minh explained that Vietnam wants to foster "healthy" ties with China and that both parties had already agreed to exert efforts to ease tensions and avoid additional disturbances in the area.

Minh added that they want to enter bilateral talks to resolve the "complicated situation" that currently besets the disputed sea.

In an emailed statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reiterated that China should withdraw the oil rig and its other vessels from Vietnamese territory. China, on the other hand, demanded that the other party stop interrupting its "normal" drilling operations and magnify the problem.

TagsChina oil rig, Vietnam-China relations, territorial disputes