26 March, 2013
Political Security
- Foreign Ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi said a Vietnamese boat was chased and shot at by a Chinese vessel near the contested Paracel Islands, causing a fire in the cabin
- Chinese officials promptly replied that the action was “necessary and legitimate” and instead accused Vietnam of illegally entering Chinese waters
- China also recently conducted a “high-sea training mission” right at the Philippines’ northern back-door near the Babuyan Islands
- China’s decision to conduct its training in the area was seen as Beijing’s way of sending a strong message to the claimants in the South China Sea, including the Philippines, which had repeatedly rejected Beijing’s “excessive claims” of the disputed territories