2-10-2024 (HANOI) A harrowing incident in the contentious South China Sea has reignited tensions between Vietnam and China, as ten Vietnamese fishermen reportedly fell victim to a violent robbery off the Paracel Islands. The attack, which occurred on Sunday, has drawn international attention to the ongoing territorial disputes in the region.
According to Vietnamese state media, the fishermen were subjected to a brutal assault lasting three hours, during which they were beaten with iron bars and robbed of valuable equipment and their catch. The assailants, numbering around 40, were said to have arrived on vessels flying Chinese flags, although Beijing has disputed this account.
Phung Ba Vuong, an official from Vietnam’s central Quang Ngai province, asserted to AFP, “They were Chinese, (the boats had) Chinese flags.” This claim has further inflamed the already delicate diplomatic situation between the two nations.
The severity of the attack was evident upon the fishermen’s return to Quang Ngai port on Monday, where four crew members required immediate hospitalisation. Captain Nguyen Thanh Bien, who lost consciousness during the ordeal, provided a chilling account to the Tien Phong newspaper: “Wearing chequered clothes, they cruelly beat us with iron bars.”
The economic impact of the raid was substantial, with Captain Bien estimating losses of approximately US$20,000 in equipment and fish. Footage released by Tien Phong showed the injured fishermen being carried from their vessel on stretchers, with reports of broken limbs among the casualties.
In response to the incident, Beijing’s foreign ministry offered a conflicting narrative. While acknowledging that an encounter took place, a spokesperson stated that “reports in question are not in line with the facts.” The ministry asserted China’s “indisputable sovereignty” over the Paracel Islands, referred to as the Xisha Islands in Chinese.
The Chinese account suggests that their authorities took lawful measures to stop Vietnamese fishing boats from illegally fishing in waters under Chinese jurisdiction. The spokesperson insisted that the operation was conducted “in a professional and restrained manner, without any personnel being injured.”
This incident is not isolated, as another Vietnamese fishing boat reportedly suffered a similar fate on the same day, with losses estimated at US$12,200 in equipment and fish.
The South China Sea remains a hotbed of geopolitical tension, with China claiming sovereignty over nearly the entire waterway, a claim contested by several neighbouring countries including Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei. The strategic importance of this sea route, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually, has led to increasingly assertive actions by China in recent years.
The timing of this incident is particularly sensitive, coming just weeks after Chinese army Lieutenant General He Lei’s statement that China would “resolutely crush any foreign hostile encroachment” on its territorial claims. This declaration followed a series of confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the disputed waters.
