After the Vietnamese fishing boat DNa 90152 was reported to have sunk near the waters of the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on May 26 after a standoff with about 40 Chinese vessels, China's official newswire Xinhua stated that the Chinese ships in the region rammed and sank the DNa 90152 in response to "provocation" by Vietnamese vessels.The standoff comes in the weeks after China set up an oil rig near the Paracels, which are currently under Chinese control but are also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.
The rig has prompted a series of anti-China rallies in Vietnam from May 13 onward. Reports suggest that at least 25 people have died in ensuing riots as dozens of Chinese, Taiwanese and Hong Kong factories were damaged or burned down. About 7,000 Chinese citizens have since been evacuated from Vietnam.After People's Liberation Army troops began to gather at the Vietnamese border, Hanoi decided to suppress a larger anti-Chinese protest which had been planned for May 18.
The standoff at sea did not end there, however, and on May 26 the DNa 90152 was surrounded by nearly 40 Chinese vessels. At 5:00pm that day, the boat was rammed and sunk by the Chinese vessels. Chinese media reports said the 10 crew members of the DNa 90152 were rescued by other Vietnamese boats.
Pham Quang Vinh, Vietnam's deputy foreign minister, subsequently criticized China for causing instability in the region, while Qin Gang, spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said Vietnam has low credibility in the international community when the former threatened to launch legal action.
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140527000162&cid=1101&MainCatID=0
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