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 group of ships is expected to cover a 4,500-km 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 ship in the East Sea.
On June 23, 2012, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) announced an international bid for 09 oil and gas blocks located within Vietnam's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
Vietnam's spokesperson said China's actions seriously violated Vietnam's sovereignty, jurisdiction and legitimate national interests, violated the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, of which China is a member state, complicated the situation and caused tension in the East Sea./.
According to (VietNam+) - MD
