Tibetan exiles shout slogans against the Chinese government as they are detained by Indian police, outside the venue where Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi is meeting with his Indian counterpart S.M. Krishna, in New Delhi. -AP Photo

NEW DELHI: India and China on Thursday discussed ways to cooperate as they vie for dominance in the region's oceans, an official said, as police detained nearly a dozen Tibetan exiles protesting outside against China's treatment of Tibet.

China presses territorial claims to much of the South China Sea while India has been exploring for oil in Vietnamese waters, an agreement with Vietnam that China views with suspicion.

Vietnam's fast-growing economy, and its natural resources including oil and gas, are an attraction for India, which, like China, is seeking energy sources to fuel its economic boom.

On Thursday, Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met in the Indian capital and decided to hold a maritime cooperation dialogue, said India's External Affairs Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin.

Details were not immediately available. While China's Yang talked with his counterpart, Tibetan exiles protested outside, calling for a free Tibet. Such protests are common during Chinese leaders' visits. Police detained nearly a dozen Tibetan exiles for violating orders against protests in a high-security zone.

Nearly two dozen self-immolations have been reported in China in recent months, many by Buddhist monks and nuns calling for Tibetan freedom and the return of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since fleeing a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. The Dalai Lama's presence in India is an irritant for China.

India and China also discussed preparations for a summit of leaders from five emerging economies that are pushing for a bigger voice in global financial affairs, Krishna said.

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are members of the grouping, known as BRICS, set up nearly six years ago. New Delhi will hold the fourth BRICS summit on March 28-29.

The BRICS agenda encompasses issues of global governance and challenges such as climate change, food and energy security, sustainable development, international financial crises and international terrorism.