Relations between China and Vietnam have had a subtle change following a series of provocative activities by Hanoi to disturb the normal drilling of a Chinese oil rig in the waters off China's Xisha Islands, also known as the Paracel Islands.

While the oil rig, or Haiyang Shiyou 981, owned by China National Offshore Oil Corporation, started operating in early May, China Maritime Safety Administration issued a notice, demanding vessels sailing by avoid crossing into the three-mile radius around the drilling site to ensure safety. In disregard of the navigation notice, the Vietnamese authorities, however, dispatched a large number of vessels, including armed ones, near to the site, ramming China's civilian ships and disturbing the normal operation of the Chinese drilling platform. The Vietnamese authorities also filed a protest, accusing the drilling operation of falling within "disputable waters" and violating the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. Hanoi has made use of the so-called "collision incident" in the South China Sea incited by the media, to describe itself a victim bullied by China.

The Chinese oil rig operates 17 miles away from the Zhongjian Island, which belongs to China's Xisha Islands, but 150 miles away from Vietnam's coastline. It is self-evident that the site falls into China's offshore waters and that the abovementioned operation is completely within the range of the country's sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction and has nothing to do with Vietnam.

Xisha Islands are a part of China's inherent territory and the drilling of the Chinese enterprise in its offshore waters is completely an internal affair that should be free from any outside interference. The normal and legitimate drilling in the sea waters under China's jurisdiction is in compliance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and anything but a violation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea as slandered by Vietnam. Facts prove that it is Vietnam, not China, who instigated the recent tensions in the South China Sea.

In the face of provocative activities from Vietnam, China had to reinforce security precautions on the site to ensure the normal drilling of its oil rig and the safety of operating equipments and staff. To maintain China's normal maritime operations and ensure the safety of its operating vessels, equipments, personnel and navigation, it is a just move for Chinese vessels to fend off bumping Vietnamese vessels. China kept utmost restraints in the face of Vietnamese provocations to avoid the escalation of tense situations. In response to provocations, China only used civilian vessels and chose a diplomatic channel for communications with the Vietnamese party, asking Hanoi to respect China's legitimate rights and interests and immediately stop provocative activities. However, such kind of restraint has failed to get respect in exchange. Vietnam increased its vessels at the scene and even mobilized some armed ships and frogmen in the meanwhile. They even put up a lot of fishing net and barricades in the relevant waters, not only seriously threatening the safety of China's vessels, drilling equipments and personnel, but also seriously endangering the normal navigation safety.

The serial provocative activities have not only seriously infringed upon China's sovereignty, sovereign rights and right of jurisdiction, but will also probably cause serious damage to the Sino-Vietnamese relations that is otherwise on the track of enhancing strategically mutual trust and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation.

In June 2013, Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang paid a visit to China and held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Both leaders unanimously agreed that friendship between China and Vietnam is the common wealth of both peoples and both countries should continue adhering to the "good-neighborliness, friendship and all-round cooperation" principle and continue to be "good neighbors, good friends, good comrades and good partners" to each other. With the joint efforts of both leaders, China and Vietnam have laid out an overall pattern of coordinatively advancing maritime, land and financial cooperation, ushering in a new future of booming development of bilateral ties. The working group for joint maritime development established by two countries has held two rounds of consultations and achieved some positive progresses. In this context, both countries should join hands to cherish and carry forward with the hard-won good momentum and in particular, remain vigilant against any alienation by the United States and Japan based on their strategic interests.

There is no doubt that Vietnam's latest provocative activities in the South China Sea have had unfavorable influence on its otherwise good interaction with China. In order to maintain healthy development of bilateral relations and the stability of the South China Sea, the Vietnamese authorities should return to reason as soon as possible, immediately stop all provocative activities and withdraw all of its vessels and personnel from the operating site of the Chinese oil rig.

The author is a researcher with the China Institute of International Studies.

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