By Francesco Guarascio and Andrew Hayley
HANOI/BEIJING, May 26 (Reuters) – A Chinese research vessel and five escort vessels were in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on Friday near gas blocks operated by Russian companies in the South China Sea. South China, a day after Vietnam ordered the ships. to leave.
The Chinese vessel Xiang Yang Hong 10 began operating in Vietnam’s EEZ on May 7, representing the largest incursion since 2019, according to Ray Powell, who directs Stanford University’s Myoushu Project in the South China Sea. Southern China.
He said China’s conduct and Vietnam’s reaction were a “worrying escalation”.
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China claims most of the energy-rich waters of the South China Sea, including areas that lie within Vietnam’s EEZ.
The 2019 stabbing lasted more than three months and primarily targeted a block then operated by Russian state oil company Rosneft ROSN.MM. Less than two years after that, Rosneft sold its assets in the South China Sea to the Russian state company Zarubezhneft, which operates some of the gas fields where the current dispute is located.
In the past few weeks since May 7, the Chinese research vessel, sometimes flanked by a dozen vessels, has moved mainly around gas block 04-03, operated by Vietsovpetr, a joint venture between Zarubezhneft and PetroVietnam , according to ship tracking. data shared with Reuters by the South China Sea Chronicle Initiative (SCSCI), an independent non-profit organization.
It is also regularly traversing blocks 132 and 131 that Vietnam has awarded to Vietgazprom, a joint venture between Russian giant Gazprom GAZP.MM and PetroVietnam. China has launched competing bids to license these two blocks.
The three companies and the Russian embassy in Hanoi did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning, responding to a question about the standoff, said China had sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and its adjacent waters and jurisdiction over the relevant waters.
“Relevant ships from China are carrying out normal activities under China’s jurisdiction. It is legitimate and legal, and there is no problem in entering the exclusive economic zones of other countries,” he told a news conference. regular
Mao said China had held communications with relevant parties on the issue and would like to work with them to “jointly safeguard the peace and stability of the South China Sea,” adding that China would “definitely protect ( their) legal rights and interests”.
On Thursday, when Vietnam issued a rare public statement demanding the ships leave, they were in Block 129, also operated by Vietgazprom, according to Powell. The statement came after former Russian President and Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev visited Hanoi on Monday.
Two Vietnamese fishing vessels were shadowing the Chinese vessels at a distance of 200-300 meters on Friday, Powell said, noting that the Chinese vessels had moved to a block adjacent to those operated by Russian companies.
Under international rules, ships can cross other countries’ EEZs, but China’s operations have long been perceived as hostile by Vietnam and other countries with claims in the South China Sea, including the Philippines and malaysia
(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio in Hanoi and Andrew Hayley in Beijing; Additional reporting by Khanh Vu; Editing by Kim Coghill, Robert Birsel)
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