the Philippines to draw in Japan, would have little impact since all of these states together can hardly match China in the regional strength and influence, let alone counterbalance and contain China as they expected." The Indo-Vietnamese deal was also denounced by the Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times. On 15 September 2011, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vishnu Prakash dismissed China's objections and stated that India's cooperation with Vietnam was "per international laws, norms, and conventions". Prakash reiterated that "India supports freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and hopes that all parties to the dispute would abide by the 2002 declaration of conduct in the South China Sea." Despite Chinese threats, on 12 October 2011, ONGC Videsh announced that it had signed a three-year deal with Petrovietnam for developing long-term cooperation in the oil sector which includes new investments and strengthening presence from drilling-to-dispensing in Vietnam, India, and other countries. An Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson supported Vietnam's claim to sovereignty stating, "The Chinese had concerns but we are going by what the Vietnamese authorities have told us and have conveyed this to the Chinese." Essar, and its partner Eni, announced in July 2019 that it had discovered natural gas and condensate in Block 114 in the Song Hong basin. Reaffirming Vietnam's continued interest in cooperation with India, Vietnam's Ambassador Pham Sanh Chau stated in December 2020, "Essar has expressed interest in scaling up their investment project in Vietnam to $11 billion. If that happenens, the project will be the single biggest investment by an Indian company in Vietnam. We are looking forward to their decision and are very optimistic about it." ONGC Videsh has not yet found oil in Block-128, but continues to hold the exploration licence. The company has repeatedly sought and been granted extensions of its exploration licence. ONGC applied for its seventh extension in September 2021. ONGC continues to maintain its licence in Block 128 because India wants to maintain its strategic interest in the South China Sea, while Vietnam continues to grant extensions because it wants an Indian presence to counter-balance Chinese claims in the disputed region. Strategic cooperation Due to COVID-19, the 17th Joint Commission Meeting was held virtually on 25 August 2020. The India-Vietnam Joint Working Group on Educational Exchange was established in 2012, and the India-Vietnam Joint Sub-Commission on Trade (Commerce Secretary-level) was set up in November 2013. The two countries also