China says moving 2nd
oil rig closer to Vietnam
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN 1
hour ago
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BEIJING (AP) — China
said Thursday it is moving a second oil rig closer to Vietnam's coast, showing
its determination to press its territorial claims and continue searching for
resources in disputed waters despite a tense confrontation with Vietnam over
another oil rig to the south.
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The 600-meter
(1,970-foot) -long rig is being towed southeast of its current position south
of Hainan Island and will be in its new location closer to Vietnam by Friday,
the Maritime Safety Administration said on its website. It asked vessels in the
area to give it a wide berth.
Vietnam's government
isn't expected to react strongly to the placement of the second rig because it
lies far to the north of the politically sensitive waters surrounding the
Paracel Islands, where ships from the two countries have been ramming each
other for more than 40 days near the first oil rig.
A Vietnamese Foreign
Ministry official who spoke on normal condition of anonymity said Hanoi believes
that no country should take unilateral action in contested waters, but that
China has explored the area previously without causing a crisis in relations.
Vietnamese authorities
broke up a small protest against the Chinese move on Thursday. About a dozen people
gathered at a park in central Hanoi and chanted slogans such as "Down with
Chinese aggression" for several minutes before being dispersed. At least
two protesters were taken away.
The shifting of the rig
came as officials from both sides said they made no progress in talks Wednesday
over the deployment of the other Chinese rig on May 1 that sparked the current
standoff. Each country claims the Paracels as its territory and accuses the
other of instigating the ship rammings around the rig.
View gallery
Vientnamese protesters
chant anti-China slogans with a banner reading: "Down with China"
i …
The first rig's
deployment triggered anti-China demonstrations across Vietnam that led to
attacks on hundreds of factories believed to employ Chinese workers, five of
whom were killed and hundreds more injured. Many of the factories were built
and run by investors from Taiwan, which has nothing to do with the current
dispute.
China's military
expelled Vietnamese troops from two of the islands in the group in 1974, and in
1988 used force to kick Vietnam out of Johnson South reef in the Spratly
Islands to the east.
The border between China
and Vietnam in the area of the second rig near the mouth of the Tonkin Gulf has
never been properly demarcated, despite five rounds of talks on the matter.
China claims virtually
all of the South China Sea, which is rich in natural resources and crisscrossed
by some of the world's busiest sea lanes. That has brought it into dispute with
other neighbors, including the Philippines, a U.S. ally.
___
Associated Press writer
Tran Van Minh in Hanoi, Vietnam, contributed to this report.
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Location 22 minutes ago
China’s corrupt
officials will send their 1 child PLA soldiers to die in Vietnam for their
greed's while they have smuggled billions of dollars overseas, much of which
has ended up in real estate in the United States, Canada, Australia and the
United Kingdom—particularly in high-end neighborhoods in London, New York, Los
Angeles, Sydney and Toronto. Now the Chinese government is embarking on a
worldwide hunt to seize the properties with help from foreign governments,
according to asset recovery and anti-corruption specialists.
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Greg789 23 minutes ago
The "old"
communist China (1949-1990) invaded or fought border wars with Russia, Vietnam,
Korea, India, Tibet, Xinjiang, Taiwan and naval battles with Vietnam over these
islands.
American bankers knew this and still made China a new superpower by shipping China our manufacturing, technology, capital and jobs. They empowered a monster and they continue to back China's expansion with their control of the U.S. press and government. The U.S. is making a few mewing noises for show and Congress is mostly silent. Asians know if China is to be stopped from taking their countries land and sea, they have to disregard the U.S. and join together.
American bankers knew this and still made China a new superpower by shipping China our manufacturing, technology, capital and jobs. They empowered a monster and they continue to back China's expansion with their control of the U.S. press and government. The U.S. is making a few mewing noises for show and Congress is mostly silent. Asians know if China is to be stopped from taking their countries land and sea, they have to disregard the U.S. and join together.
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VQG 11 minutes ago
This rising monstrous
Red China could potentially be more dangerous and lethal than the Soviet Union
during the Cold War. I hope the US won't be waiting for long until it's too
late to deal with China.
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Frodo 24 minutes ago
another 'disputed
waters' nonsense article again. this article needs to be re-written, with an
emphasis placed on the exact location and distance from mainland China,
Philippines, Vietnam and EEZ zones. Claims to maritime territory beyond the 200
mile EEZ should regarded absurd. If the EEZs overlap, then the midpoint is the
EEZ boundary; unless there is a treaty or UN ruling otherwise, this is the
clear and plain and simple demarcation of maritime boundaries. The EEZ is
measured from the MAINLAND; not from uninhabited islets, rocks and especially
not from artificial islets or outposts built on top of submerged shoals or
underwater reefs. All of the Spratly Islands and Paracel islands should be
viewed as UNINHABITED for the purpose of setting EEZ boundaries, because the
only reason they have been inhabited or developed recently is for the purpose
of expanding EEZ territory, which reverses the intent of the UNCLOS 200 mile
EEZ rule. The Philippines EEZ does not overlap Vietnam nor China. Measure the
midpoint between Mainland China and Mainland Vietnam, draw a boundary line,
problem solved. US government, officials, and News Media should say that a
certain area or issue is within or outside the 200 mile or midpoint boundary;
NOT the vague and stupid propaganda that says all territory is simply 'disputed'
which gives credibility to more absurd claims and encourages provocations and
investment into the militarization of submerged features located in distant
waters. If China poaches or builds something located in the EEZ of other
nations, it is fair play, for that nation to destroy, sink, capture or arrest
the Chinese, boats or structures. Location, location, location therefore
determines which nation is the aggressor at fault, and which nation is
justified in defense of home surf and turf; NOT the absurd propaganda
persistence of each side. the only 'disputed' territory therefore is a claims
on international waters, outside the 200 mile EEZ of any nation. the further
away a provocation is outside a 200 mile EEZ boundary, the greater the
indication of guilt by the distant aggressor nation vs. the closer, defending
nation.
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The Walrus 45 minutes
ago
This is all just a very
miniscule sample of what things would be like If China had the sheer power the
US has to dominate its neigbors and the world. While the US is not and have not
been the angels of the world we want the rest of the world to believe we are,
at least with our democracy there are checks and balances. China with its one
party system will assimilate everything just like the Borg. You will be
assimilated and not in a good way. They will take all and leave you nothing and
you and your decendents will forever be 2nd or 3rd class citizens. We can fight
but it but the way things are headed I am not certain you can win in the long
run.
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Steve 39 minutes ago
The CCP is running the
biggest Ponzi Scheme in history in China. It’s the Chinese apartment real
estate market. The CCP steals the land. Then the CCP gets a kickback from the
apartment builders. the chinese people are required to give their life savings
as a down payment, when they buy the over priced apartment. All the money goes
into the accounts of the CCP. When the apartment market falls, and prices go
lower, then the people will have lost all their savings.
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Asp U 25 minutes ago
Another misleading news
article... it says this 2nd oil rig is further away not closer.
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w 12 minutes ago
Use torpedoes in the
dark of night before any drilling begins. Nip it in the bud.
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My Opinion 7 minutes ago
To Vietnam and
Philippines, you don't want to cooperate with China now you lose everything!
And stop crying for help from the US, you kicked Americans out remember? You
are only friendly when you need something!
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Bin 25 minutes ago
Well, in 1974, that was
South Vietnamese troops, one of U.S' allies. Stupid AP editor.
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Tom 2 hours ago
In the absence of any
bilateral treaty, the militarily strong will always have the upper hand. Right
at the very beginning Vietnam and the Philippines approach of "what is our
is ours" was not working well for a final resolution of the issue.
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