Vietnam’s prime minister said on Thursday for the first time that his country is considering legal action against China over its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, a move that Beijing would likely fiercely oppose.
China claims nearly all of the South China Sea as its own, bringing it into conflict with the far smaller nations of Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines and others that have rival claims. Beijing also has a territorial dispute with Japan over a cluster of islands in the East China Sea, which Taiwan also claim.
Last year, the Philippines filed a complaint against China before an international tribunal in The Hague to challenge the legality of its claims, antagonizing China. Beijing wants any disputes with countries to be resolved bilaterally even as it continues to engage in what many in the region regard as provocative assertions of its sovereignty in the waters.
China raised the stakes in the region earlier this month when it deployed an oil rig in an area claimed by Vietnam, triggering fury in Hanoi, which sent ships to try to disrupt the drilling operation. Street protests morphed into bloody anti-Chinese riots that damaged hundreds of factories.
Vietnam had been trying a more low-key approach in its dealings with China, but the oil rig deployment prompted it to toughen its stance.
In a written reply to questions sent by reporters, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said: “like all countries, Vietnam is considering various defense options, including legal actions in accordance with the international law.”
Dung did not specify what legal actions Hanoi was considering.
Two Vietnamese diplomats have previously told reporters that Vietnam might now file its own appeal or join Manila’s legal challenge against China. A senior Philippine government official said Dung and other Vietnamese officials mentioned that plan to their Philippine counterparts in closed-door meetings on Wednesday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Vietnam has notified the UN of China’s actions, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Quang Vinh told reporters in Manila.
Dung has demanded that China withdraw the rig, but Beijing insists it has done nothing wrong.
At a regular briefing in Beijing, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Hong Lei (洪磊) accused Dung of “calling white black in the world community and attacking China in an absurd manner.”
“What Vietnam should do is harshly punish the assailants in the smashing, looting, burning and beatings, protect Chinese companies, and stop the harassment of the Chinese drilling rig. Apart from that, they should pay compensation for all the damage,” Hong said.
Dung said Vietnamese authorities have contained the rioting, and business in the affected areas is back to normal.
When asked if Vietnam would risk going to war in disputed waters, Dung said his country would never venture into that.
“Military solution? The answer is no,” Dung said in the e-mail. “Vietnam has endured untold suffering and losses from past invasive wars... We are never the first to use military means and would never unilaterally start a military confrontation unless we are forced to take self-defense actions.”
Many have feared that long-seething territorial disputes in the resource-rich South China Sea could spark Asia’s next armed conflict.
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