China urges Vietnam to stop its disruptive activities

China has demanded that Vietnam cease its disruptive actions and immediately remove all its vessels and personnel from the scene of China's drilling operations in waters south of Zhongjian Island in the South China Sea. Yi Xianliang, Deputy director-general of the department of boundary and ocean affairs of the Chinese foreign ministry, made the statement during a press briefing on Thursday.

Yi Xianliang said that the operations by a Chinese company are normal oil drilling, and were being conducted in undisputed waters of the Xisha Islands which are inherent territory of China. According to Yi Xianliang, Vietnam dispatched six vessels to deliberately ram into Chinese government ships soon after a Chinese oil rig arrived at the site on May 2nd. China has repeatedly called on the Vietnamese side to follow international practices to ensure the safety of navigation, and construction at sea.

36 Vietnamese vessels, including armed ships, which were deployed from May 3, reportedly rammed Chinese vessels for more than 170 times. Yi Xianliang added that Vietnam also placed many fishing nets and large obstacles in the water, posing threats to navigation. He said that China has communicated with Vietnam 14 times through diplomatic channels, calling on Vietnam to respect China's legitimate rights and interests and stop its disruptive actions.