Thursday, May 8, 2014

China says no "clash" in sea row with Vietnam, urges talks

China today (May 8) rejected Vietnamese claims it acted aggressively in the South China Sea and called for a peaceful end to a bitter row sparked by Beijing’s parking of a giant oil rig in contested waters.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping said no “clash” had taken place since the dispute erupted at the weekend. He was responding to Vietnam’s assertions that Chinese vessels used water cannons and intentionally rammed eight of its ships, seriously damaging two, and wounding six sailors.

“I don’t believe there was a clash. I think this was a difference of opinion on some disputes,” Mr Cheng told reporters on the sidelines of a forum in Beijing. “The area in dispute is Chinese territory and of course we will maintain the country’s core interests and defend our sovereignty. Vietnam should know this,” Mr Cheng said, adding that the two countries can resolve disputes through “peaceful talks”.


“This dispute is not about the entire relationship between China and Vietnam. It’s localised. It is controllable.”

  • The two Communist nations have sought to put aside border disputes and memories of a brief border war in 1979. Vietnam is usually careful about comments against China, for which it relies on for political support and bilateral trade that surpassed US$50 billion (S$62.4 billion) in 2013.

Still, Hanoi has strongly condemned the operation of the drilling rig, the first such action by Beijing in contested waters, and told the owners, China’s state-run oil company CNOOC, to remove it.

  • China has parked about 80 ships around the rig, Vietnamese officials have said, adding that seven of them were military. Its foreign ministry yesterday showed reporters what it said were video clips of Chinese ships hitting Vietnamese Seaguard vessels.

Hanoi has also hinted at international legal action and said it had requested dialogue with China’s leadership, but was awaiting a response.

Mr Daniel Russel, the United States Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific, reiterated Washington’s concerns about “dangerous conduct and intimidation by vessels” in the disputed area. He met senior Vietnamese leaders today and said the row had been discussed at length....... [todayonline.com]

8/5/14
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1 comment:

  1. China blames U.S. for stoking tensions in South China Sea...

    Reuters) - China's foreign ministry blamed the United States on Friday for stoking tensions in the disputed South China Sea by encouraging countries to engage in dangerous behavior, following an uptick in tensions between China and both the Philippines and Vietnam.

    China this week accused Vietnam of intentionally colliding with its ships in the South China Sea after Vietnam asserted that Chinese vessels used water cannon and rammed eight of its vessels at the weekend near an oil rig.

    The United States has called China's deployment of the rig "provocative and unhelpful" to security in the region, urging restraint on all sides.

    Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying repeated that the waters the rig was operating in, around the Paracel Islands, were Chinese territory and that no other country had the right to interfere.

    "It must be pointed out that the recent series of irresponsible and wrong comments from the United States which neglect the facts about the relevant waters have encouraged certain counties' dangerous and provocative behavior," Hua told a daily news briefing.................http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/09/us-china-usa-idUSBREA4804Z20140509?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
    9/5/14

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