Vietnam eyes legal action vs China

MANILA, Philippines - Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said his government was considering various “defense options” against China, including legal action, following the deployment of a Chinese oil rig to waters in the South China Sea that Hanoi also claims.

Dung’s comments, given in a written response to questions from Reuters, are the first time he has suggested Vietnam would take legal measures, a threat likely to infuriate Beijing.

“Vietnam is considering various defense options, including legal actions in accordance with international law,” Dung said in an email sent late on Wednesday, while on a visit to Manila. He did not elaborate on the other options being considered.

“I wish to underscore that Vietnam will resolutely defend its sovereignty and legitimate interests because territorial sovereignty, including sovereignty of its maritime zones and islands, is sacred,” he said.

In late March, the Philippines formally submitted a case to an arbitration tribunal in The Hague, challenging China’s claims to the South China Sea. It was the first time Beijing has been subjected to international legal scrutiny over the waters.

Beijing has refused to participate in the case and warned Manila that its submission would seriously damage ties.

Anti-Chinese violence flared in Vietnam last week after a $1-billion deepwater rig owned by China’s state-run CNOOC oil company was parked 240 kms (150 miles) off the coast of Vietnam.

Hanoi says the rig is in its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone and on its continental shelf. China has said the rig was operating completely within its waters.

The move was the latest in a series of confrontations between China and some of its neighbors. Washington has responded with sharpened rhetoric towards Beijing, describing a pattern of “provocative” actions by China.

US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the situation with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on Wednesday, the two governments said.

Kerry also invited Minh to visit Washington, US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

Dung, in some of his strongest comments yet on the breakdown in ties with Beijing, said that while Vietnam had sought to use dialogue to settle the situation, the response from China had been an increase in force and intimidation.