23 June 2014

News Story: Beijing sends four more oil rigs to South China Sea


Little progress was made during Chinese state councilor Yang Jiechi's meeting with Phan Binh Minh, the Vietnamese deputy foreign minister, in Hanoi on June 19, and China looks set to inflame tensions between the two countries as its Maritime Safety Administration has sent four more oil rigs to the disputed waters of South China Sea, according to Duowei News, an outlet run by overseas Chinese.

China has already deployed the new oil rigs — the Nanhai IV, Nanhai II and Nanhai V, while Beijing has demanded that all foreign vessels navigating through the South China Sea to maintain at least one kilometer away from the rigs, Duowei said. The move has already sparked another anti-Chinese rally in Hanoi, according to the Associated Press, adding that the rally was suppressed by the Vietnamese government and at least two activists were arrested.

Read the full story at Want China Times