China enters waters off of Vietnam near Russian gas block

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By Caitlin McFall, Fox News

May 26, 2023 | 8:59 p.m

China on Friday again ignored Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and deployed a research ship with five escort vessels to an area where a Russian state firm jointly operates a gas block with Hanoi in the energy-rich that South China Sea.

The move is Beijing’s latest escalatory move in the region after it first dispatched a research vessel last month along with at least one Chinese coast guard ship and nearly a dozen other vessels, Reuters reported.

The research ship, Xiang Yang Hong 10, on Friday passed a gas block known as 04-03 operated by Vietsovpetr, a joint venture between Russian-owned Zarubezhneft and PetroVietnam.

The news came a day after Vietnam called on the Chinese vessel to leave the area near the Spratly Islands after it first entered the region on May 7.

China tried lay sovereign claim across the South China Sea, it has recently been increasing its aggressive posture against neighboring countries with jurisdictional rights in the vast body of water such as the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Vietnam on Thursday issued a rare public statement demanding that Chinese vessels leave the area after they crossed block 129, which is also operated by Vietgazprom.

Chinese spokesman Mao Ning responded to reporters’ questions Friday following the statement and said Beijing did sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and jurisdiction over adjacent waters.

“The relevant Chinese ships are conducting normal activities under China’s jurisdiction. This is legitimate and according to the law,” she claimed.

“There is no issue with entering the exclusive economic zones of other countries.”

International ships are allowed to pass through the exclusive economic zones of other countries because they are not directly the territory of any particular sovereign, although countries have jurisdictional rights in areas under international which gives them special rights regarding exploration, use of marine resources and energy production.

Ray Powell, who leads Stanford University’s Project Myoushu in the South China Sea, described the blatant disregard for Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone as the most significant attack in the region since 2019 and an “alarming increase.”