A ship was sent by Vietnam to stop a Chinese research vessel near its eastern coastline, as indicated by maritime monitoring information.
A Chinese ship remained mostly inside Vietnam’s marine area during the latter part of June, according to Hanoi, which claims this constitutes an infringement on its territorial rights.
Why It Matters
Vietnam is among various nations in the area that have conflicting territorial assertions in the South China Sea, where up to one-third of worldwide maritime traffic travels annually.
China’s assertions of control over much of the key waterway have consistently caused friction with Vietnam and other regional nations, alongside Beijing’s Coast Guard, semi-military, and scientific operations within the sea areas near its neighboring countries.
contacted the Chinese embassy in Vietnam via email seeking their response.
What To Know
Publicly available data from Global Fishing Watch’s vessel monitoring system indicates that the
Bei Diao
The twin-hull research ship 996 set sail from China’s southernmost province, Hainan, on June 10.
From that time onward until July 4, the vessel stayed within or slightly beyond Vietnam’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) — an area stretching 230 miles from the nation’s shore, where international fishing and research efforts are not allowed under maritime regulations unless authorized by Vietnam.
Throughout much of this time, the ship carried out what seemed to be a hydrographic survey, regularly entering the exclusive economic zone in a “lawnmower pattern” often used for seabed mapping.
On June 19, the Vietnamese fishing boat
Kiem Ngu
471 appears to be leaving the shoreline and heading directly toward
Bei Diao
996. The ship remained in June tracking the Chinese vessel, departing the region only last week when Bei Diao 996 headed back towards Hainan.
“Vietnam’s ongoing reaction highlights its worry about China’s aggressive survey methods,” stated Ray Powell, head of the SeaLight marine analysis organization affiliated with Stanford University, who pointed out the vessel routes on X (previously known as Twitter).
Twitter
).
At a press briefing on Thursday, Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang stated that foreign research and survey activities carried out inside the nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone constitute “breaches of its sovereignty and authority,” according to the 1982 convention.
United Nations
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
Measuring almost 330 feet in length and weighing 7,384 tons,
Bei Diao
The 996 is designed for testing underwater apparatus, as stated by the state-run China Classification Society.
Analysts have previously flagged
Chinese research vessels
participating in questionable actions and cautioned that they could be collecting data—including details on
undersea cables
or nearby military facilities—capable of enhancing China’s strategic standing in the area.
Bei Diao
The activities of 996 occur amid rising tensions at sea between China and Vietnam.
Hanoi was stirred up early this year when Beijing once more declared an
annual fishing ban
waters inside the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, the Philippines, and various neighboring countries.
Vietnam has also expressed opposition to China’s actions in 2024 and once more this year, where it independently established new maritime boundary lines within the Gulf of Tonkin aiming to alter its claimed areas.
What People Have Said
Jun Kajee, professor at Southern Utah University and a researcher affiliated with the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy
, wrote in a
a report released by SeaLight at the end of last month
Regular Chinese mapping activities in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Taiwan Strait are no longer rare occurrences—they now serve as a key element of the area’s naval environment.
Such operations frequently lead to diplomatic objections from nations including Vietnam, the Philippines, and Japan, continually escalating conflicts and challenging the determination of nearby countries to protect their naval assertions.
What’s Next
China has not yet issued an official response to Vietnam’s complaint. Continued Chinese naval actions, such as survey operations and coast guard missions in contested regions, are expected to continue causing tension in the South China Sea.
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