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| Vietnamese workers torch foreign factories over Chinese sea claims | Vietnamese workers torch foreign factories over Chinese sea claims |
| (4 months later) | |
| Anti-China mobs have torched up to 15 foreign-owned factories and trashed many more in southern Vietnam, according to officials and state media, amid rising anger over China's recent instalment of an oil rig in a disputed part of the South China Sea. | |
| Separately the Philippines has protested to Beijing about China carrying out land reclamation on a reef in the Spratly Islands. Manila says the Chinese are making preparations to build an airstrip or offshore military base, violating a regional non-agression pact. | |
| In Vietnam the unrest at the industrial parks is the country's most serious outbreak of public disorder in years. It began late on Tuesday at a Singapore-run facility and spread to other complexes in Binh Duong province. Up to 20,000 workers became involved in attacking factories they believed were Chinese-run, though some were Taiwanese or South Korean, the VnExpress website said, quoting Tran Van Nam, the deputy head of the province's people's committee. | |
| On Wednesday morning groups of men on motorbikes remained on the streets and all the factories in the area were closed, said one park manager, who declined to give his name. Riot police had been stationed around the area. | |
| Another manager said many foreign-owned factories were putting banners on their gates saying "We love Vietnam" and "Hoang Sa, Truong Sa – Vietnam," using Vietnamese terms for the Paracel and Spratly island chains that are claimed by both Vietnam and China. | |
| Nam said the protests on Tuesday were initially peaceful but were hijacked by "extremists" who incited people to break into the factories. He said at least 15 factories were set alight and "hundreds" more vandalised or looted, while some security guards and unidentified "foreign experts" were assaulted. | |
| In Manila the Philippines' foreign secretary, Albert del Rosario, told the Associated Press that the Philippines had lodged a protest against China last month after surveillance aircraft photographed reclamation and dredging being done by Chinese vessels at the Johnson Reef in the Spratlys. | |
| Vietnam and China have been engaged in a dangerous standoff near the Paracels after Beijing deployed a mobile oil rig backed by dozens of security vessels. | |
| “My view is that this is a potentially dangerous situation, and that it could present the most serious crisis in Sino-Vietnam relations in 30 years,” said Ian Storey, a senior fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. | “My view is that this is a potentially dangerous situation, and that it could present the most serious crisis in Sino-Vietnam relations in 30 years,” said Ian Storey, a senior fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. |
| A “combination of events” probably triggered the standoff, he said. China’s decision to begin drilling in the area in 2012 was probably related to Exxon Mobile’s announcement that it had made a “huge” oil and gas discovery off central Vietnam the year before. | A “combination of events” probably triggered the standoff, he said. China’s decision to begin drilling in the area in 2012 was probably related to Exxon Mobile’s announcement that it had made a “huge” oil and gas discovery off central Vietnam the year before. |
| More recently, China may have been agitated by a visit by the US president, Barack Obama, to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines in late April; Vietnam may have wanted to test the US’s commitment to keeping the peace. Furthermore, Vietnam may have hoped that its resistance would shine a spotlight on China’s territorial assertiveness at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Burma last week. | More recently, China may have been agitated by a visit by the US president, Barack Obama, to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines in late April; Vietnam may have wanted to test the US’s commitment to keeping the peace. Furthermore, Vietnam may have hoped that its resistance would shine a spotlight on China’s territorial assertiveness at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Burma last week. |
| Four members of the 10-nation bloc – Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam – are locked in territorial disputes in the Spratlys with China and Taiwan. | Four members of the 10-nation bloc – Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam – are locked in territorial disputes in the Spratlys with China and Taiwan. |
| “The Chinese won’t withdraw that rig, and the Vietnamese are certainly intent on challenging its presence,” he said. | “The Chinese won’t withdraw that rig, and the Vietnamese are certainly intent on challenging its presence,” he said. |
| China has announced plans to continue operating the rig until 15 August, Storey continued, “so we can expect tensions to continue until then”. | China has announced plans to continue operating the rig until 15 August, Storey continued, “so we can expect tensions to continue until then”. |
| In Manila the Philippine foreign secretary, Albert del Rosario, told the Associated Press that the Philippines had lodged a protest against China last month after surveillance aircraft photographed reclamation and dredging being done by Chinese vessels at the Johnson Reef in the Spratlys. | In Manila the Philippine foreign secretary, Albert del Rosario, told the Associated Press that the Philippines had lodged a protest against China last month after surveillance aircraft photographed reclamation and dredging being done by Chinese vessels at the Johnson Reef in the Spratlys. |
| “I doubt China is prepared to use military force to take over islands or land that is currently occupied by other countries in the Spratleys,” said Li Mingjiang, an associate professor at the S Rajaratnam School Of International Studies in Singapore. “But China will be assertive in preventing other countries from exploring or exploiting energy resources there.” | “I doubt China is prepared to use military force to take over islands or land that is currently occupied by other countries in the Spratleys,” said Li Mingjiang, an associate professor at the S Rajaratnam School Of International Studies in Singapore. “But China will be assertive in preventing other countries from exploring or exploiting energy resources there.” |
| He continued: “The mainstream view in China tends to be that the Philippines is simply trying to antagonise China … and I’m concerned that if the situation continues to worsen, China may ultimately decide to ‘teach the Philippines a lesson’, so to speak.” | He continued: “The mainstream view in China tends to be that the Philippines is simply trying to antagonise China … and I’m concerned that if the situation continues to worsen, China may ultimately decide to ‘teach the Philippines a lesson’, so to speak.” |
| Del Rosario said the Philippines raised the reclamation along with the deployment of Chinese coast guard ships at the Second Thomas Shoal and "harassments of our fishermen" during the Asean summit. | |
| Asean issued a statement expressing concern over recent territorial spats in the South China Sea after the summit attended by south-east Asian heads of state. | |
| China and Asean member states signed a non-binding 2002 declaration urging rival claimant countries to settle their disputes peacefully and refrain from occupying or building on new islands or reefs. | |
| But accusations of repeated violations of the pact have sparked international calls for a legally binding code of conduct to prevent a major armed conflict in the South China Sea. | |