Related to China’s placement of its giant deep-water drilling rig - Haiyan Shiyou-981 - inside Vietnam’s waters, the US Forbes magazine has recently run an article by Gordon G. Chang, stating that Beijing crossed two important lines.
Chang, who writes primarily about China and Asia, said this is the first time China has drilled in Vietnamese waters.
According to the author, this is the first time Beijing openly used its “gray hulls” - navy ships - in close support of “white hulls” - civilian maritime craft - while enforcing a territorial claim. Beijing brought a fleet of about 80 vessels to keep the Vietnamese from stopping the oil rig.
He pointed out that China ’s move is “extraordinarily dangerous”.
At the same time, Chang reiterated that the Vietnamese do not have a history of backing down, even in the face of provocative behavior from big neighbor China.
“The Chinese want the territory and waters of surrounding countries. They will not stop until they are stopped. And it may just be the Vietnamese who stop them,” Chang concluded.-VNA
Chang, who writes primarily about China and Asia, said this is the first time China has drilled in Vietnamese waters.
According to the author, this is the first time Beijing openly used its “gray hulls” - navy ships - in close support of “white hulls” - civilian maritime craft - while enforcing a territorial claim. Beijing brought a fleet of about 80 vessels to keep the Vietnamese from stopping the oil rig.
He pointed out that China ’s move is “extraordinarily dangerous”.
At the same time, Chang reiterated that the Vietnamese do not have a history of backing down, even in the face of provocative behavior from big neighbor China.
“The Chinese want the territory and waters of surrounding countries. They will not stop until they are stopped. And it may just be the Vietnamese who stop them,” Chang concluded.-VNA
