China claims most of the South China Sea and has over the past couple of years been taking various steps to assert its claim, raising tension in particular with Vietnam and the Philippines.
The two sides have been trading accusations over the incident and last week, Vietnam state television broadcast video showed a large Chinese vessel steaming after two smaller Vietnamese fishing boats, then colliding with a Vietnamese fishing boat which then capsized.
The dispute is the most serious deterioration of relations between the Communist states and traditional rivals since a brief war in 1979 following Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia.
Shortly after China brought its oil rig into the area, Vietnam sent a large number of vessels, frogmen, and dropped numerous obstacles, including fishing nets, into the sea, China's foreign ministry said on Sunday.
"As of 5 p.m. on 7 June, there were as many as 63 Vietnamese vessels in the area at the peak, attempting to break through China's cordon and ramming the Chinese government ships for a total of 1,416 times," the ministry said in a statement.
"In the face of Vietnam's provocative actions on the sea, China exercised great restraint and took necessary preventive measures," the ministry said, adding that China sent ships to the area to ensure the safety of its operations.
- China has communicated with Vietnam more than 30 times at various levels, asking it to "stop its illegal disruption", the ministry said.
Scores of Vietnamese and Chinese ships, including coastguard vessels, have squared off around the rig despite a series of collisions after the platform was towed to the area in early May. Until the May 26 incident, no ship had sunk.
- The Haiyang Shiyou 981 rig is drilling between the Paracel islands occupied by China and the Vietnamese coast. Vietnam has said the rig is in its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone and on its continental shelf. China says it is operating within its waters.
- China claims about 90 percent of the South China Sea, displaying its reach on official maps with a so-called nine-dash line that stretches deep into the maritime heart of Southeast Asia. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims to parts of the potentially energy-rich waters.
[todayonline.com]
9/6/14
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China's Foreign Ministry released an article about the HYSY 981 drilling rig in the Xisha Islands on its website on Sunday. The full text is as follows:...
ReplyDeleteThe Operation of the HYSY 981 Drilling Rig: Vietnam's Provocation and China's Position
I. The operation of the HYSY 981 drilling rig
On 2 May 2014, a Chinese company's HYSY 981 drilling rig started its drilling operation inside the contiguous zone of China's Xisha Islands for the purpose of oil and gas exploration. With the first phase of the operation completed, the second phase began on 27 May. The two locations of operation are 17 nautical miles from both the Zhongjian Island of China's Xisha Islands and the baseline of the territorial waters of Xisha Islands, yet approximately 133 to 156 nautical miles away from the coast of the Vietnamese mainland.
The Chinese company has been conducting explorations in the related waters for the past 10 years, including seismic operations and well site surveys. The drilling operation carried out by HYSY 981 this time is a continuation of the routine process of explorations, and falls well within China's sovereignty and jurisdiction.
II. Vietnam's provocation
Shortly after the Chinese operation started, Vietnam sent a large number of vessels, including armed vessels, to the site, illegally and forcefully disrupting the Chinese operation and ramming the Chinese government vessels on escort and security missions there. In the meantime, Vietnam also sent frogmen and other underwater agents to the area, and dropped large numbers of obstacles, including fishing nets and floating objects, in the waters. As of 5 pm on 7 June, there were as many as 63 Vietnamese vessels in the area at the peak, attempting to break through China's cordon and ramming the Chinese government ships for a total of 1,416 times..................http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/864575.shtml
9/6/14