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| China ship 'rams Vietnam fishing boat' in South China Sea | China ship 'rams Vietnam fishing boat' in South China Sea |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A Chinese ship rammed and sank a Vietnamese fishing boat near a controversial oil rig in the South China Sea, Vietnamese officials say, amid tensions between the two nations. | A Chinese ship rammed and sank a Vietnamese fishing boat near a controversial oil rig in the South China Sea, Vietnamese officials say, amid tensions between the two nations. |
| According to Vietnam's coast guard, the boat was encircled by 40 Chinese vessels before it was attacked. All 10 fishermen on board were rescued. | |
| There was no immediate comment from China on the incident. | There was no immediate comment from China on the incident. |
| The two are locked in an intensifying dispute over South China Sea territory. | The two are locked in an intensifying dispute over South China Sea territory. |
| Vietnam has protested against China moving its Haiyang Shiyou 981 rig to waters also claimed by Hanoi, at a spot near the disputed Paracel Islands. | Vietnam has protested against China moving its Haiyang Shiyou 981 rig to waters also claimed by Hanoi, at a spot near the disputed Paracel Islands. |
| Both sides have ships engaged in a stand-off in the area and there have been several reported collisions. | |
| Tuesday's incident happened just 17 nautical miles from the rig, Vietnamese reports said. | Tuesday's incident happened just 17 nautical miles from the rig, Vietnamese reports said. |
| China's refusal to move the rig sparked anti-China protests in Vietnam earlier in May, which left at least two people dead and several factories burnt. | China's refusal to move the rig sparked anti-China protests in Vietnam earlier in May, which left at least two people dead and several factories burnt. |
| Vietnamese legislators are preparing to sue China in an international court over the rig and other attacks on Vietnamese ships, according to local media. | Vietnamese legislators are preparing to sue China in an international court over the rig and other attacks on Vietnamese ships, according to local media. |
| The Chinese government has not yet commented on the latest South China Sea confrontation. | The Chinese government has not yet commented on the latest South China Sea confrontation. |
| But state news agency Xinhua on Monday published a commentary in English which accused Vietnam of wanting to "disturb and play up the normal drilling of Haiyang Shiyou 981". | But state news agency Xinhua on Monday published a commentary in English which accused Vietnam of wanting to "disturb and play up the normal drilling of Haiyang Shiyou 981". |
| Written by Chinese law professor Yang Zewei, the commentary states: "Hanoi should know that such drilling in the said area is China's sovereign right endowed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea." | Written by Chinese law professor Yang Zewei, the commentary states: "Hanoi should know that such drilling in the said area is China's sovereign right endowed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea." |
| "Vietnam should immediately stop any interruptive activities and undertake corresponding consequences and international responsibilities for its provocations.". | "Vietnam should immediately stop any interruptive activities and undertake corresponding consequences and international responsibilities for its provocations.". |
| Japan has urged calm. Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga was reported by agencies as saying: "It's important that relevant countries abstain from unilateral actions that raise tensions and that the countries act cool-headedly, observing international laws." | |
| Meanwhile, Vietnam is preparing to prosecute "hundreds of suspects" involved in the riots earlier in May, and has already jailed two participants, according to local media. | |
| China has for decades claimed a U-shaped swathe of the South China Sea. | |
| But tensions have flared up in the region recently as China seeks to assert its claims in a more muscular fashion with a beefed-up maritime presence. | |
| Its actions have upset several neighbouring countries, including the Philippines - which is taking China to a United Nations tribunal. |