Vietnam lodged a strong protest with China over an alleged attack on a Vietnamese fishing boat in the contested South China Sea, claiming that Chinese law enforcers injured several fishermen and confiscated their equipment, Reuters reports.
The Vietnamese foreign ministry stated that the incident occurred near the Paracel Islands, known as Hoang Sa in Vietnam and Xisha in China. These islands, claimed by both countries, lie within the South China Sea, a vital global maritime route.
According to Vietnam, the Chinese law enforcers brutally attacked the Vietnamese fishermen while they were fishing in the area, causing injuries to several individuals. Vietnamese state media reported that around 40 people from two foreign vessels beat the fishermen with iron pipes, injuring 10.
“Vietnam is extremely concerned, indignant and resolutely protests the brutal treatment by Chinese law enforcement forces of Vietnamese fishermen and fishing boats operating in the Hoang Sa archipelago of Vietnam,” said Pham Thu Hang, the foreign ministry spokesperson.
The ministry demanded that China acknowledge Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Paracel Islands, thoroughly investigate the incident, and refrain from similar actions in the future.
China, however, maintains that the Vietnamese boats were fishing illegally in Paracel waters without Beijing’s permission and that its authorities acted professionally and with restraint to stop them.
