China has responded to Vietnam’s demand it release Vietnamese fishing boats and crew members detained in a the South China Sea.
“China urges Vietnam to strengthen education and management of its fishermen and refrain from engaging in illegal activities in waters under China’s jurisdiction,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters during a regular press conference on Friday.
Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday addressed reports multiple Vietnamese fishermen and vessels seized in late September near the Paracel Islands, known in Vietnam as Hoang Sa and in China as the Xisha Islands, remained in custody.
“The Chinese coast guard’s detention of Vietnamese fishing vessels and fishermen in the Hoang Sa waters is a serious violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty, infringing upon the legal and rightful interests of Vietnamese fishermen,” state broadcaster Voice of Vietnam quoted Deputy Spokesperson Doan Khac Viet as saying.
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He demanded China “immediately release” the boats and fishermen. He also called on the country to fairly compensate the anglers for damage, cease “further harassment and illegal detentions in Vietnam’s waters around Hong Sa,” and fully recognize Hanoi’s dominion over the island group.
The spokesperson did not specify when these boats were intercepted nor how many of the vessels and their crew members were detained.
Vietnamese media previously reported that Chinese government ships operating out of Hainan had on September 29 attacked a Vietnamese fishing boat in the Paracels, proceeding to viciously beat its crew, resulting in several broken bones.
The Chinese personnel were also accused of destroying most of the ship’s equipment and making off with the crew’s catch.
Three days later, Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry issued a sharp rebuke over the Chinese side’s “brutal behavior” and said the raid ran counter to the neighbors’ “mutual understanding” on managing maritime disputes.
Viet also voiced concern over a new radar system China is reported be building on Triton Island in the southwest corner of the Paracels, condemning all activities on the feature, also claimed by Hanoi.
Earlier this month British think tank Chatham House released an analysis of satellite imagery it says shows the Chinese military is “dramatically expanding its capabilities” on the island.
“Once completed, the radar system would significantly increase China’s signals intercept and electronic warfare capabilities across the disputed Paracel Islands archipelago and add to a wider surveillance network spanning much of the South China Sea,” the report. said.
Newsweek reached out to the Vietnamese and Chinese foreign ministries with emailed requests for comment.
The Paracels sit 230 to 250 miles east of Vietnam’s central coast and approximately 200 to 220 miles southeast of China’s southernmost province of Hainan. While the two neighbors have maintained relatively cordial ties since they clashed over a Chinese oil rig in 2014, Chinese policing of the archipelago remains a bone of contention.
China claims nearly all of the South China Sea within its self-imposed “dashed line,” putting it at odds with competing claims by not only Vietnam but also the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.
