Vietnam urges restraint amid maritime tensions with China

HANOI, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Vietnamese President and Communist
Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong has called for restraint in the
disputed South China Sea amid a tense months-long standoff
between Chinese and Vietnamese ships, state media reported on
Tuesday.
China claims almost all the energy-rich waters but
neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam
also have claims.
Tension escalated when Beijing dispatched a research ship to
conduct an energy survey in waters controlled by Vietnam in
July.
"On the subject of foreign policy, including the East Sea
issue, the General Secretary stressed the importance of
maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, and resolutely
fighting to protect Vietnam's independence, sovereignty and
territorial integrity," the state-run Voice of Vietnam (VOV)
said on its website.
The South China Sea is known as the East Sea in Vietnam.
Vietnam has good relations with China but should "never
compromise" on its sovereignty and territorial integrity, VOV
quoted Trong as saying.
The Chinese vessel, the Haiyang Dizhi 8, was continuing its
survey in Vietnam's exclusive economic zone late on Tuesday,
under escort from at least three Chinese ships, according to
data from Marine Traffic, a website that tracks vessel
movements.
Vietnam's foreign ministry has repeatedly accused the vessel
and its escorts of violating its sovereignty and has demanded
that China remove its ships from the area.
On Sunday, Vietnam pulled DreamWorks' animated film
"Abominable" from cinemas over a scene featuring a map which
shows China's unilaterally declared "nine-dash line" in the
South China Sea. The U-shaped line is used on Chinese maps to illustrate its
claims, including large swathes of Vietnam's continental shelf,
where it has awarded oil concessions.
In August, police broke up a brief protest outside the
Chinese embassy in Hanoi over the survey vessel. Trong has made more public appearances in recent weeks after
suffering from an unspecified illness. The 75-year-old has presided over a widespread crackdown on
corruption in the Southeast Asian country that has seen several
high-ranking ministers and politicians, including one Politburo
member, sent to prison on charges ranging from embezzlement to
economic mismanagement.