Vietnam has warned China not to drill for oil after Beijing moved a giant rig at the center of a previous maritime standoff back into disputed waters.
The move came a day before a crucial political transition begins in Hanoi as the communist leadership meets for its five-yearly congress.
China has moved the HY-981 rig into an “overlapping area of continental shelves between Vietnam’s central coast and China’s Hainan island,” Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Le Hai Binh said late on Tuesday.
Hanoi closely monitors the movements of the oil rig, which caused a high-seas standoff and deadly anti-China riots in 2014 after it was deployed for several months in waters claimed by Vietnam.
The oil rig’s move comes at a delicate time for Hanoi, with the ruling communist party preparing for a leadership change at the upcoming party congress, which starts today.
“Vietnam asked China not to proceed with drilling activities and withdraw the oil rig out of the area,” Binh said in a statement.
Hanoi and Beijing frequently trade diplomatic barbs over disputed island chains and waters in the South China Sea.
The leadership’s handling of its delicate relationship with China — which is the nation’s largest trading partner — is a frequent flashpoint for domestic criticism of the authoritarian government.
Tensions between the two communist neighbors have been rising over Chinese flights through Vietnamese airspace to the disputed Fiery Cross Reef (Yongshu Reef, 永暑礁) in the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島).
Vietnam accused China of threatening regional safety with the “unannounced” flights, while China ignored the warnings and hit back, arguing it has the right to conduct “state aviation activities.”
China moved the HY-981 oil rig into contested waters in 2014, triggering protestss in Vietnam that left at least three people dead.
China asserts ownership over virtually all of the South China Sea, putting it at odds with Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines, which also stake partial claims.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was