China’s Oil Rig
On Tuesday, tensions between China and Vietnam escalated to near acts of war when a Chinese coast guard vessel apparently rammed into a Vietnamese coast guard vessel. The Vietnamese ship allegedly sustained some major damage, but did not sink. The sailors aboard the ship were not injured.
On May 26, a Chinese vessel rammed into a Vietnamese civilian fishing boat and sank it. On Sunday, two naval confrontations occurred between the two countries. The first was another Chinese coast guard vessel televised by a Vietnamese news station apparently spraying a Vietnamese inspection vessel with a water hose, causing the Vietnamese vessel to return to port for repair. The second incident was a Vietnamese coast guard ship ramming a Chinese ship. The Vietnamese ship sustained heavy damage.
The dispute is over the hotly contested South China Sea, in which several different countries claim different degrees of economic and territorial sovereignty. On May 2 China deployed an oil drilling platform or oil rig to the South China Sea, escorted by several naval ships and fighter jets. The purpose of the expedition was to search for areas in which to drill for oil. The rig is owned by the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, and is now anchored not far east from Vietnamese territory of Ly Son Island. Chinese experts say this $1 billion rig will likely find a gas field after surveys determined the area a spot for anchoring. Vietnam currently is drilling two fields west of the Chinese rig. In these two fields, Exxon Mobil declared oil and gas present in 2011-2012.
The South China Sea is in the middle of a handful of Southeast Asian countries, and apparently contains a multitude of natural resources used by these nations to sustain their livelihood, including fishing grounds. China lays claim to an area defined by their “nine-dash-line” which extends south and east through the South China Sea. The line juts up against the countries of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines.
The nine-dash-line was detailed in a map released in 1947 by China, claiming ancient historical sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly island chains and atolls which fall within its nine-dash-line. Other countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines claim China is violating the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The UNCLOS Exclusive Economic Zone ends China’s sovereignty with just a few islands of the Paracel Island chain.
The deployment of China’s oil rig in May sparked anti-Chinese protests in Vietnam, claiming acts of war on China’s part and breaking international law. These protests led to riots on Sunday in which Vietnamese protesters caused damage to buildings deemed to be owned by China and injured 100 Chinese citizens. China responded by evacuating 290 citizens from Vietnam. Another 7,000 approximately are due to exit the country this week. The Foreign Ministry of China confirmed two deaths of Chinese citizens during the riots in Vietnam as of May 16.
Although these apparent acts of war caused by China and Vietnam’s dispute over the nine-dash-line and the UNCLOS Exclusive Economic Zone, China claims it is Vietnam breaking international law. “Vietnam is creating tension and violating international law,” stated during a daily briefing Tuesday by a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. “Vietnam continues to conduct ramming activities.” These tensions are occurring alongside other territorial disputes between China and other Pacific Asian countries, including a dispute with Japan over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.
Source: Guardian Liberty Voice – China and Vietnam Acts of WarRelated articles
- Chinese warships aim uncovered guns at Vietnamese ships in South China Sea (chinadailymail.com)
- Vietnam boat sinks after collision with Chinese vessel (chinadailymail.com)
- Large number of Chinese troops seen heading for China-Vietnam border (chinadailymail.com)
- China Takes the Offensive in South China Sea Disputes by Its Oil Rig Move (tiananmenstremendousachievements.wordpress.com)
- Vietnam mobs set fire to foreign factories in anti-China protest (chinadailymail.com)
- Sinosphere Blog: Vietnam Says Video Shows Chinese Ship Intentionally Sinking Boat (sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com)
- China’s Self-Made Disaster in the South China Sea (nationalinterest.org)
- South China Sea set for period of protracted confrontation (wantchinatimes.com)
- Vietnam and China at War on the High Seas (the-american-interest.com)
- Could Tensions in the South China Sea Spark a War? (nationalinterest.org)
Categories: Defence & Aerospace
The danger of war is in South China Sea, not Taiwan 
America losing the future to China 
Chinese ‘militia’ ships spark concern after ‘swarming’ disputed South China Sea 
China’s J-16 fighter jet is flawless and much superior to the Su-30: pilot 
It is important not to murder the English language with ‘War’ when none is declared and no shots fired. Let’s just call it intense sumo wrestling, each contestant trying to throw the other out of the arena.
The challenger Vietnamese ask for her nose to be bloodied. If they have any brains left, they should kow tow to China and share the Spratlys. Maybe China will give them some share of the Paracels.
I notice Vietnam have a virulent history, always aggressive. This virus need to be caged so it don’t disturb neighorhbood peace.
Morever Vietnam continue to deny the importance of Pham Van Dong’s Diplomatic Note to China acknowledging the Paracels is Chinese territory. They continue to say Paracels was lost by the South Vietnamese and thus they, the North Vietnamese, current Communist party have the right to take it back. Funny they don’t understand during Pham’s time, it is the SAME Communist party as the current Communist party. Are they mentally challenged, can’t they understand, the current Communist Vietnamese government INHERIT Pham’s Communist government acknowledgement that Paracels belongs to China AND thus China also have a right to drill BASED
Editor’s Note: In response to the many emails about this poster, we do suspect he’s a paid Chinese internet commentator. However, we believe that all people should be allowed to voice their opinions, not just the ones that agree with our agenda. Therefore, at this stage we will not ban him, but will continue to censor his profanity and racial vilification.
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BASED on Paracels EEZ? So there is overlap, why does the Vietnamese think China cannot drill?
Editor’s Note: Irrelevant remarks removed
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There’s no overlap:
. Chinese controlled Paracel as the the result of forces: no sovereignty.
. Paracel does not have EEZ, especially Tri Tan sand islet most submerged at high tide – can’t even have 12 miles territorial right.
The rig is 81 miles inside Vietamese EEZ and 280 miles from Hainan’s EEZ and nothing else. That why China can not drill.
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China should show minimal intelligence and drop Pham Van Dong letter before it further bloodies their nose:
. His letter acknowledged specifically, the 12 miles territorial claim of China -before the Chinese quickly amended the same claim to include Paracel/Spratly. He took care to not mention them as an answer to China. Furthermore, territorial issues must be ratified by the People’s Congress per North Vietnamese constitution.
. The country name of north Vietnam was Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the country name of south Vietnam, was Republic of Vietnam and now, Vietnam is named Socialist Republic of Vietnam. His letter legally, could not address territorial sovereignty of the South. Period! Bring it down to your level, here is an example: will China accept an agreement by Taiwan to surrender of Tibet to Dalai Lama?
. The same Communist party in Vietnam now is the same Communist party in 1958 North Vietnam and the same 1930 Communist Party named Indochina Communist Party found by Ho Chi Minh. Should Vietnam worry now what the Laotians and Cambodians do, because the Party had the same origin?
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can’t this wumao be deleted?
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Editor’s Note: My apologies, but I find his perceptions of the world quite amusing, and I don’t want to resort to Chinese media’s tactic of censoring opposing views.
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Vietnam must follow what the Philippines do, they must challenge China through UN arbitration. More lethal than any other strategy. Time will come that the whole world will condemned this bully.
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Please do! Vietnam don’t have water tight case. That is why she dare not go to UN. Vietnam, what take you so long?
First, go to ICJ, not UNCLOS and be prepared to be embarrassed by China. Do things in Proper Sequence, not like the illegal Philippines stealing Kalayaan and pretend UNCLOS is the relevant law. Rights to 200 miles EEZ flows from land, islands. China have the rights to the Paracels. China will cross examine Vietnam to show evidence she have SOVEREIGN rights to the Spratlys. She can’t and China will be drilling around the Spratlys next!
The Paracels belongs to China. Case closed. Save legal fees.
Editor’s Note: Racist remarks removed
Editor’s Note: In response to the many emails about this poster, we do suspect he’s a paid Chinese internet commentator. However, we believe that all people should be allowed to voice their opinions, not just the ones that agree with our agenda. Therefore, at this stage we will not ban him, but will continue to censor his profanity and racial vilification.
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Reblogged this on pundit from another planet.
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