The United States said on May 7 it was concerned about dangerous conduct and intimidation in the East Sea after reports of Chinese vessels ramming Vietnamese ships.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki reiterated the US view that China's deployment of an oil rig in a disputed part of the East Sea was "provocative and unhelpful" to security in the region.

"We are strongly concerned about dangerous conduct and intimidation by vessels in the area," she told a regular news briefing.

On May 6, in Washington DC, the State Department of the US warned against China’s moving of its oil rig into the East Sea, describing it as a provocative act that can cause instability in the region.-VNA