Vietnam Accuses China As Boat Sinks

Vietnam Accuses China As Boat Sinks
Ten fishermen rescued after ramming in South China Sea, says Vietnamese media, as tensions simmer over oil rig

A Chinese fishing vessel rammed and sank a Vietnamese fishing boat in the disputed South China Sea, Vietnamese state media reported Tuesday, in an incident likely to sharpen already dangerously high tensions between the two nations over their overlapping claims in the waters.

The reports in the Tuoi Tre newspaper and other media said the incident occurred about 18 miles (30km) from a large oil rig China deployed on 1 May in a section of the sea claimed by both countries. The move by Beijing infuriated Hanoi and set off violent anti-China protests.

China's official Xinhua news agency countered that the Vietnamese vessel capsized after "harassing and colliding" with the Chinese boat. 

"Crew aboard the boat were saved after their ship jostled a fishing boat from Dongfang city in southern China's Hainan province and overturned in the waters near China's Xisha Islands," Xinhua said, citing a government source.

China's government had launched solemn representations with Vietnam over the incident, Xinhua said.

A Vietnamese coastguard officer said earlier on Tuesday that the Chinese boat had rammed and sunk the Vietnamese fishing vessel.

Vietnam sent patrol ships to confront the rig and China has deployed scores of vessels to protect it. The two sides have been involved in a tense standoff, with boats occasionally colliding.

The countries have long sparred over who owns what in the oil and gas-rich waters. Incidents between fishing crews are common.

Tuoi Tre said about 40 Chinese fishing boats surrounded a group of Vietnamese vessels on Monday afternoon. One rammed into the Vietnamese, tossing 10 fishermen into the water and sinking the boat. The fishermen were picked by the other Vietnamese boats and there were no injuries.

Since 1 May Vietnam has accused China of ramming into or firing water cannon at Vietnamese vessels trying to get close to the rig, damaging several boats and injuring fisheries surveillance officers. Vietnamese authorities have shown video footage of some of the incidents. China accuses Vietnam of doing the same.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea as its own, bringing it into conflict with the far smaller nations of Vietnam, the Philippines and three others that have rival claims. In recent years it has been more assertive in pressing its claims in the waters and resisting attempts to negotiate.

The United States, which has launched its own military "pivot to Asia" partly in response to China's rising military might, called the deployment of the rig "provocative".

Vietnam is trying to rally regional and international support against Beijing but its options are limited because China is its largest trading partner.