International media expose China's aggression

Many international reporters have had the opportunity to witness and report on the threatening and dangerous actions of Chinese ships against Vietnamese ships near the Haiyang Shiyou-981 drilling rig.

Images from international reporters depict the aggression of Chinese ships and the tense situation at sea - Photo: taken from website

Faced with the reality that China illegally placed the Haiyang Shiyou-981 drilling rig in Vietnam's waters, major American and Japanese newspapers simultaneously published what their reporters saw and heard. Specifically, in an article on CNN, reporter Euan McKirdy reported on the incident where a Chinese ship sank a Vietnamese fishing boat. On the afternoon of May 27, journalist McKirdy witnessed a Chinese coast guard ship blowing a horn as if trying to provoke Vietnam's maritime law enforcement forces. In his article, author McKirdy also affirmed that China's action of placing the drilling rig was unilateral, making the maritime dispute situation more tense.

Reporter Osamu Maruyama of Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan's largest daily newspaper, reported that about 100 Chinese ships were aggressively guarding around the Haiyang Shiyou-981 rig to obstruct about 30 Vietnamese law enforcement ships. "The situation I witnessed could easily turn into a major clash," reporter Maruyama commented, adding: "When observing the rig area with binoculars, I could see many Chinese ships in front like they were forming a giant fortress. With every movement of the rig, the ships changed positions. In the middle distance, I saw Vietnamese ships also changing direction to respond to every movement of Chinese ships." Also according to journalist Maruyama, Chinese ships are increasingly acting aggressively and recklessly, such as two ships sandwiching a Vietnamese ship in the middle and then spraying water with water cannons or another Chinese ship suddenly ramming a Vietnamese ship. From there, Mr. Maruyama concluded: "China's aggressive actions continue to escalate."

Journalist Manabu Sasaki of Asahi Shimbun, the second largest newspaper in Japan, also wrote clearly: At 3:45 p.m. on May 27, there were up to 9 Chinese ships surrounding 5 Vietnamese ships, including the ship carrying the reporter team, in the area. Not only that, when a Vietnamese fishing control ship stopped moving, a larger and better-equipped Chinese ship tried to approach at a distance of only about 30 meters. Many Vietnamese fishermen also told reporter Sasaki that they were attacked by sailors on the Chinese ship. Based on what the reporter on the ground described, Asahi Shimbun published an editorial warning that China's move to illegally place the drilling rig in Vietnamese waters was a new sign that China ignored international public opinion and was trying to "impose dominance" in the East Sea. This newspaper quoted a Chinese researcher revealing that illegally placing the drilling rig in Vietnamese waters was a decision made by senior Chinese leaders at the beginning of the year, not an individual action of the country's National Oil and Gas Group. Asahi Shimbun also had an editorial asking China to stop drilling for oil in the East Sea.

According to Thanh Nien