China sends ships into Vietnam's East Sea again
On June 26, a patrol group consisting of four China Marine Surveillance (CMS) ships moved from a coastal city towards Vietnam's East Sea.
The fleet is expected to cover 4,500 km during the patrol, Xinhua news agency quoted an unnamed official as saying, adding that formation drills would be conducted "if maritime conditions permit."
Previously, China brazenly invited international bids in Vietnam's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf - an action that Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi affirmed was "illegal and invalid."
Chinese Coast Guard ships in the East Sea.
On June 23, 2012, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) announced international bidding for 09 oil and gas blocks located within the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of Vietnam.
Vietnam's spokesman said China's actions seriously infringe upon Vietnam's sovereignty, jurisdiction and legitimate national interests, violate the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, of which China is a member state, complicate the situation and cause tension in the East Sea./.
According to (VietNam+) - MD
