Vietnam condemns China for attack on its fishermen in disputed South China Sea

HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam condemned China on Thursday, saying Chinese law enforcement attacked 10 Vietnamese fishermendamaged their fishing gear and seized around 4 tonnes of fish caught near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.

Fishermen radioed Sunday about the attack near the Chinese-controlled islands, but did not identify the attackers.

Three of the fishermen suffered broken bones and the others suffered other injuries, according to Vietnamese state media. Some were taken on stretchers to a hospital after returning to Quang Ngai province on Monday evening.

Vietnam's Foreign Ministry on Thursday blamed Chinese law enforcement for the high-seas attack, saying they seriously violated Vietnam's sovereignty in the country. Paracel Islandsinternational law and an agreement by the leaders of the two countries to better manage their territorial disputes.

Chinese authorities did not immediately react.

Vietnam expressed its protests and concern over the attack on the Chinese ambassador in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi.

Vietnam demanded that Beijing respect its sovereignty over the Paracel Islands, open an investigation and provide information about the attack, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said in a statement.

China has become increasingly aggressive in asserting its claims across virtually the entire country. South China Sea, through which approximately $5,000 billion in global trade passes each year. The sea passage is also believed to sit atop vast underwater oil and gas deposits.

Besides China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims to this strategic waterway.

The United States has no claims in the disputed waters, but has deployed Navy ships and Air Force fighter jets to patrol the waterway and promote freedom of navigation and overflight. China has warned the United States not to interfere in what it sees as a purely Asian dispute.

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement on social media platform (Chinese) law enforcement against Vietnamese fishing vessels around the Paracel Islands on September 29. (China) to renounce any dangerous and destabilizing behavior in the South China Sea.

The Vietnamese newspaper Tien Phong quoted one of the fishermen, Tran Tien Cong, as saying that two foreign boats approached them from behind and the ships' personnel boarded their boat and began beating the fishermen. fishermen with a meter-long stick. long), apparently made of iron.

The Vietnamese fishermen panicked and did not fight back as they were overwhelmed by an estimated 40 attackers. Another fisherman, Nguyen Thuong, reportedly said the attackers, who spoke through a translator, ordered them to return to Vietnam. The attackers then seized their fishing gear and their fish catch.

After being beaten, the Vietnamese fishermen were forced to kneel and were covered with plastic sheeting before the attackers left.

The Paracel Islands lie about 400 kilometers (250 miles) off Vietnam's east coast and about the same distance from China's southernmost province of Hainan. Both countries, as well as the self-governing island of Taiwan, claim these islands.

The islands have been under China's de facto control since 1974, when Beijing seized them from Vietnam in a brief but violent naval conflict.

Last year, satellite photos showed that China appeared to be building an airstrip on Triton Island in the Paracel group. At the time, it appeared that the airstrip would be large enough to accommodate turboprop planes and drones, but not fighter jets or bombers.

China has also had a small port and buildings on the island for years, as well as a helipad and radar networks.

China has declined to provide details of its island-building work, saying only that it aims to promote global navigation security.

He has rejected accusations, including those from the United States, that he is militarizing the sea passage.