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| Chinese and Vietnamese Ships Collide Amid Oil Rig Dispute | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| HONG KONG — Tensions in the South China Sea intensified Wednesday as Vietnamese naval vessels collided with Chinese ships amid a heated standoff over an oil rig that China had placed off Vietnam’s coast. | |
| Officials said that no shots were fired during the incident, and further details about the collision, which was confirmed by a Vietnamese official to The Associated Press, were not available. But the collision highlighted the hair-trigger tensions in the region as East Asian nations try to contain China’s more aggressive posture in pursuing maritime claims in the South China Sea. | |
| The collision occurred just days after the Chinese state oil company Cnooc stationed the rig 120 nautical miles off the coast of Vietnam, in waters claimed by China and Vietnam. The placement of the rig led to protests and demands by Vietnam that it be withdrawn, and the deployment of a Vietnamese naval flotilla to the area. | |
| China’s state councilor, Yang Jiechi, refuted the criticisms in a telephone call on Tuesday with Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh of Vietnam. Mr. Yang said the rig was operating within Chinese waters, but Mr. Minh told the Chinese diplomat during the call that Vietnam would “take all suitable and necessary measures” to protect its rights and interests, according to the Vietnamese foreign ministry. | |
| The incident is the latest chapter in ongoing territorial disputes involving China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia. Taiwan also claims swathes of the ocean. The disputes themselves are not new, but an increasingly powerful China with new military capabilities to reinforce its claims has caused ripples in the region over the last few years. China claims expansive areas of the sea, encompassed in a “nine-dash line” map that critics have said has no basis in international law. | |
| In another flare-up, the authorities in the Philippines have detained the crew of a Chinese fishing vessel in a disputed area of the South China Sea, officials said. | |
| The Chinese government initially said that it had “lost contact” with 11 fishermen in the area and reported that the crew had been taken away Tuesday morning by armed men, who had fired warning shots before boarding the vessel. But on Wednesday, China acknowledged that the crew had been detained by the Philippine authorities near the Spratly Islands. | The Chinese government initially said that it had “lost contact” with 11 fishermen in the area and reported that the crew had been taken away Tuesday morning by armed men, who had fired warning shots before boarding the vessel. But on Wednesday, China acknowledged that the crew had been detained by the Philippine authorities near the Spratly Islands. |
| Relations between China and the Philippines have grown increasingly tense over the last year because of territorial disputes in the South China Sea. | Relations between China and the Philippines have grown increasingly tense over the last year because of territorial disputes in the South China Sea. |
| The tensions are flaring at a time when the American and Philippine armed forces are engaged in joint military exercises in the region and just after Washington and Manila forged a new security agreement. | The tensions are flaring at a time when the American and Philippine armed forces are engaged in joint military exercises in the region and just after Washington and Manila forged a new security agreement. |
| Dante Padilla, a senior inspector with the Maritime Group of the Philippine National Police, said Wednesday afternoon in a phone interview that in addition to the Chinese fishing vessel’s crew, several hundred sea turtles were seized by a Philippine National Police patrol boat during the operation, near Half Moon Shoal. | Dante Padilla, a senior inspector with the Maritime Group of the Philippine National Police, said Wednesday afternoon in a phone interview that in addition to the Chinese fishing vessel’s crew, several hundred sea turtles were seized by a Philippine National Police patrol boat during the operation, near Half Moon Shoal. |
| “From our initial reports, there was no resistance from the apprehended vessel, and no shots were fired,” he said. | “From our initial reports, there was no resistance from the apprehended vessel, and no shots were fired,” he said. |
| Mr. Padilla said the fishing boat was being escorted to the Philippine city of Puerto Princesa, where charges of poaching will be filed against the fishermen. They could also face charges related to the protection of wildlife, he said. | Mr. Padilla said the fishing boat was being escorted to the Philippine city of Puerto Princesa, where charges of poaching will be filed against the fishermen. They could also face charges related to the protection of wildlife, he said. |
| “Sea turtles are considered endangered and protected animals,” Mr. Padilla said, adding that it was not clear when the vessel would arrive in Puerto Princesa. |