Chinese and Vietnamese Ships Collide Amid Oil Rig Dispute
Source: New York Times
HONG KONG — Tensions in the South China Sea intensified Wednesday as Vietnamese naval vessels collided with Chinese ships amid a heated standoff over an oil rig that China had placed off Vietnam’s coast.
Officials said that no shots were fired during the incident, and further details about the collision, which was confirmed by a Vietnamese official to The Associated Press, were not available. But the collision highlighted the hair-trigger tensions in the region as East Asian nations try to contain China’s more aggressive posture in pursuing maritime claims in the South China Sea.
The collision occurred just days after the Chinese state oil company Cnooc stationed the rig 120 nautical miles off the coast of Vietnam, in waters claimed by China and Vietnam. The placement of the rig led to protests and demands by Vietnam that it be withdrawn, and the deployment of a Vietnamese naval flotilla to the area.
China’s state councilor, Yang Jiechi, refuted the criticisms in a telephone call on Tuesday with Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh of Vietnam. Mr. Yang said the rig was operating within Chinese waters, but Mr. Minh told the Chinese diplomat during the call that Vietnam would “take all suitable and necessary measures” to protect its rights and interests, according to the Vietnamese foreign ministry.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/08/world/asia/philippines-detains-crew-of-chinese-fishing-vessel.html
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