Vietnam Says Chinese Boat Harassed Survey Ship; China Disputes
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A Chinese vessel harassed a survey ship operated by Vietnam Oil & Gas Group in the South China Sea yesterday, Vietnam said, escalating tensions between the neighbors after a similar incident two weeks ago.
A Chinese fishing boat rammed the survey cables of the PetroVietnam ship yesterday morning in a “premeditated” incident, Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Nga told reporters. She said the ship was conducting a seismic survey in Block 136-03, an area more than 1,000 kilometers (622 miles) from China’s Hainan island.