HANOI - Vietnam accused Chinese law enforcement of a "brutal" attack on a Vietnamese fishing vessel Sunday that threatened the lives of crew members in disputed waters of the South China Sea.
An alleged attack by Chinese law enforcement authorities on a Vietnamese fishing vessel from the central province of Quang Ngai resulted in injuries to 10 crewmen, including three that suffered broken bones, state media Tien Phong newspaper reported.
China's Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment sent on a public holiday in Beijing. The ministry, without specifically referring to the incident, said on Tuesday Vietnamese vessels illegally fished in the waters of the Paracel Islands without China’s permission and Chinese authorities took measures to stop them, Reuters reported.
The attackers were accused of seizing about four tonnes of seafood and smashing and removing equipment from the boat, according to Tien Phong. Losses are estimated at 500 million dong (US$20,220), it said.
"Vietnam is extremely concerned, indignant and resolutely opposes the brutal behaviour of Chinese law enforcement forces against Vietnamese fishermen and fishing vessels operating in the Paracel archipelago of Vietnam," Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said in an emailed statement Wednesday evening.
Vietnam has a long-standing territorial dispute in the South China Sea with China, which claims the majority of the area as its territory — an assertion that overlaps with separate claims by Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan as well as the Philippines and Vietnam.
Vietnam protested the incident in discussions with the China's Hanoi embassy. The ministry demanded "China to fully respect Vietnam's sovereignty over the Paracel archipelago, promptly investigate and notify Vietnam on the results, and do not to repeat similar actions."
Vietnam and the Philippines signed two letters of intent in August, including one on humanitarian assistance at sea, while a more comprehensive security agreement is targeted for completion later this year. In June, Vietnam offered to have talks with the Philippines about overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea as Manila decries increasingly violent clashes with Chinese vessels in contested waters.