Vietnam-China South China Sea conflict developing

The Chinese deployment of Marine Oil 981 offshore drill rig to the coast of Vietnam in early May was yet another serious escalation in an already tense South China Sea. The possibility of a naval clash between China and Vietnam has not been more probable than since their last skirmish on Johnson Reef in 1988 that killed some 70 Vietnamese sailors. Many in Washington perceive Beijing as reckless, but in the Chinese mind, this provocation is rooted in strategic logic.

 

What happened?

 

 

Beijing asserts that, based on historical research, the southern South China Sea and all its resources belong to China. Its newly hyped nine-dashed territorial claim line demarks its territory, and China has deployed fishing boats, maritime police vessels, and naval ships to drive the point home.

 

 

Vietnam considers these waters, what it calls the Eastern Sea, as home, and also well within its 200-mile UN Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Both it and the Philippines hotly contest China’s moves, and Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia have done so too, albeit more quietly.

Read More: Vietnam-China South China Sea conflict developing into dangerous checkmate scenario – UPI.com.