BEIJING, June 17. /ITAR-TASS/. China's government State Council will send a delegate to Vietnam on June 18 amid soured relations over the disputed South China Sea Xisha archipelago, or Paracel Islands.

China has started oil exploration on the territory both countries consider their own.

Envoy Yang Jiechi visits to meet Vietnamese foreign minister Pham Binh Minh and other politicians, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Tuesday.

Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines are also involved in disputes over territorial sovereignty of Xisha archipelago, Nansha (Spratly) Islands and Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal), where offshore hydrocarbon reserves have been discovered.

China declares “indisputable sovereignty” in the area.