Vietnam accuses Chinese ship of sinking fishing boat MANILA, Philippines – Vietnam should stop resisting China’s deployment of an oil rig in disputed waters because they are only harming themselves, China’s foreign ministry spokesman said after a Vietnamese fishing boat was sunk allegedly by China. “What has happened shows that Vietnam’s unjustified and illegal disruption and destruction of China’s normal operations can lead them nowhere,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a press conference. “They will only end up harming their own interests. We urge the Vietnamese side to refrain from further harassment, bear in mind the big picture of bilateral relations and regional stability, and stop disrupting and sabotaging China’s normal operations,” he said. Vietnam accused China Tuesday of intentionally ramming and sinking one of their fishing boats near the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands) in the South China Sea. China, however, responded by saying that it was the fishing boat that rammed its fishing vessel but capsized afterwards. “A Vietnamese fishing ship broke into the cordoned-off area of China’s drilling rig 981, and capsized after ramming into the rear port side of a Chinese fishing ship that was operating nearby,” Qin said. He further blamed Vietnam for the incident saying that it was because of their continued resistance against China’s oil rig deployment. “In spite of the repeated representations, warnings and dissuasions from the Chinese side, the Vietnamese side continues to forcefully disrupt the normal drilling operations of the Chinese company and take dangerous actions,” Qin said. Several incidents of collisions between ships and boats of Vietnam and China have been reported over the past weeks after China deployed an oil rig near the Paracel islands which it claims as part of its inherent territory. The oil rig deployment sparked anti-China protests in Vietnam, causing several deaths of Chinese citizens that were working in factories. China has evacuated thousands of its citizens from Vietnam to escape the violence. China claims the entire South China Sea including portions of the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone. There have been several incidents of Chinese ships using water cannons against Filipino fishermen to deter them from going to the disputed Scarborough Shoal off the coast of Zambales and Ayungin Shoal in the Spratly Group of Islands off Palawan province. globalnation.inquirer.net/105270/china-tells-vietnam-stop-resistance-you-are-only-harming-yourself Video: May 27 (Bloomberg) -- A Chinese vessel attacked and sank a Vietnamese fishing boat, the Vietnam government said, raising tensions over a territorial dispute that saw clashes between the countries’ coast guard ships earlier this month. David Ingles has more on Bloomberg Televisions On The Move Asia. (Source: Bloomberg bloomberg/video/chinese-boat-attacks-sinks-fishing-vessel-vietnam-elE6qgw7TKe5PzzdX5AuhA.html) (CNN) -- A Vietnamese fishing boat has sunk after colliding with a Chinese vessel near an island chain in the South China Sea at the center of a territorial dispute between the two Communist neighbors. According to Chinas state-run Xinhua news agency, the Vietnamese vessel had been harassing a Chinese fishing boat at 5 p.m. local time on Monday in waters near the Paracel Islands, a largely uninhabited archipelago also known by the Chinese as the Xisha Islands. However, Luu Tien Thang, a senior officer aboard a Vietnamese coast guard boat patrolling waters nearby, told CNN Tuesday the Vietnamese vessel reported that it had actually been rammed by the Chinese ship during a distress call. While the Chinese vessel was purportedly a fishing boat, Luu said there were usually Chinese military boats in the area with the fishing fleet. Other Vietnamese fishing boats and coast guard ships picked up the 10 crew members aboard the Vietnamese vessel, Luu added. Forcefully intruded Relations between China and Vietnam have soured in recent weeks after a state-owned Chinese oil company began drilling for oil some 17 nautical miles off the Paracels. Vietnamese officials say Chinese military and civilian ships have been harassing their vessels around the islands -- which are controlled by Beijing but claimed by Hanoi -- even accusing the Chinese of repeatedly ramming into them and shooting water cannon. China maintains that its current drilling activities are legitimate and blames the Vietnamese for provoking the conflict. At a daily press briefing in Beijing Tuesday, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Qin Gang said the Vietnamese vessel had forcefully intruded into the area where its drilling rig was operating, then ran into the left side of a Chinese fishing boat before capsizing. I want to stress that the direct cause for this incident is that the Vietnamese side ... insisted on disturbing the normal operation by the Chinese side and took dangerous action on the sea, said Qin. We once again urge the Vietnamese side to stop immediately all kinds of disruptive and damaging activities. He said there is no dispute concerning the sovereignty of the Xisha islands, and that they are Chinese territory. We hope the Vietnamese side will stop its disruptive actions and bear in mind the overall interests of the stability of the region. Only by doing so can the Vietnamese side uphold the overall interests of bilateral relationship, Qin added. The spat recently spilled into violent anti-Chinese protests across Vietnam two weeks ago, prompting Beijing to evacuate thousands of its nationals. Recent video aired by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed some limping or being carried down the stairs of a medical flight arriving in the city of Chengdu, many with limbs bandaged. Two Chinese nationals were killed in earlier clashes, authorities said. Vietnam characterized the protests as spontaneous acts by individuals who were exploiting the situation to cause social disorder. cnn/2014/05/27/world/asia/vietnam-china-paracels-fishing-boat-collision/
Posted on: Wed, 28 May 2014 07:33:35 +0000
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