China warns citizens in Vietnam after protests fuel anti-Chinese sentiment
Posted
China has warned its citizens in Vietnam after protesters clashed with police over a government plan to create new economic zones for foreign investment that has fuelled anti-Chinese sentiment in the country.
Key points:
- Demonstrators fear new economic zones will be dominated by Chinese investors
- Draft bill would allow foreign investors to lease land for up to 99 years
- Chinese embassy warns its citizens about "anti-China content"
More than 100 protesters were arrested and dozens of police injured at a protest in central Vietnam on Sunday, one of several demonstrations nationwide against the special economic zones opponents fear will be dominated by Chinese investors.
The Chinese embassy in Hanoi posted a notice on its website referring to the protests as "illegal gatherings" that had included some "anti-China content".
"The Chinese embassy in Vietnam is paying close attention to the relevant developments and reminds Chinese citizens in Vietnam to pay attention to security when travelling," the notice said.
Vietnam's National Assembly agreed on Monday to delay a vote on the draft bill, which would allow foreign investors to lease land for up to 99 years and provide greater incentives and fewer restrictions than at present in the country.
Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, chairwoman of the Assembly, said the protesters might have misunderstood the nature of the bill.
"People should stay calm, believe in the decisions of the party and the state, especially in the fact that the National Assembly is always listening to the people's opinions when discussing the bills," Ms Ngan said.
Public protests are rare in Vietnam and are often quickly quelled by the police.
Dozens of police injured in clashes
On Sunday, protesters in the central province of Binh Thuan threw petrol bombs and bricks at police and damaged local government offices and vehicles, state media reported.
Police arrested 102 protesters, the online newspaper VnExpress reported on Monday, citing local police.
The report said dozens of policemen were injured in the incident.
In the capital Hanoi, police detained more than a dozen protesters who marched down a busy street, some carrying anti-Chinese banners including one that said "No leasing land to China even for one day".
Activists said several protesters were also detained in the country's economic hub, Ho Chi Minh City.
The Government has said the bill aims to boost development in three provinces in northern, central and southern Vietnam and provide "room for institutional experiments".
The initial draft law said land in the zones could be leased for up to 99 years, but Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told local media last week the term would be reduced, although he did not say by how much.
The protests have come at a time of rising tensions over the disputed South China Sea, nearly all of which is claimed by China.
Vietnam is among several countries in the region that have claims in the South China Sea, through which an estimated $US5 trillion ($6.5 trillion) in trade passes each year.
Some of the protesters at Sunday's demonstrations were also protesting against another draft bill on cybersecurity amid widespread concern the law would cause economic harm and stifle online dissent in the communist-ruled country.
Reuters
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Vietnam, China, Malaysia have eyes on the prize
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Rich in resources and traversed by a quarter of global shipping, the South China Sea is the stage for several territorial disputes that threaten to escalate tensions in the region.
At the heart of these disputes are a series of barren islands in two groups - the Spratly Islands, off the coast of the Philippines, and the Paracel Islands, off the coasts of Vietnam and China.
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Both chains are essentially uninhabitable, but are claimed by no fewer than seven countries, eager to gain control of the vast oil and gas fields below them, as well as some of the region's best fishing grounds.
Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei have made claims to part of the Spratlys based on the internationally recognised Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which extends 200 nautical miles from a country's coastline.
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Based on the EEZ, the Philippines has the strongest claim on the Spratlys and their resources, with its EEZ covering much of the area.
However the lure of resources, and prospect of exerting greater control over shipping in the region, means that greater powers are contesting the Philippines' claims.
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China has made extensive sovereignty claims on both the Spratlys and the Paracels to the north, based largely on historic claims outlined in a map from the middle part of the 20th Century known as the 'Nine Dash Map'.
Taiwan also makes claims based on the same map, as it was created by the nationalist Kuomintang government, which fled to Taiwan after the communists seized power in China.
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Vietnam also claims the Spratlys and the Paracels as sovereign territory, extending Vietnam's EEZ across much of the region and bringing it into direct conflict with China.
There have been deadly protests in Vietnam over China's decision to build an oil rig off the Paracels.
One Chinese worker in Vietnam was killed and a dozen injured in riots targeting Chinese and Taiwanese owned factories, prompting 3,000 Chinese nationals to flee the country.
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EEZ can only be imposed based on boundaries of inhabitable land, and this has prompted all the countries making claims on the region to station personnel, and in some cases build military bases out of the water, to bolster their claim.
Building and protecting these structures has resulted in a series of stand-offs between countries in the region, each with the potential to escalate.
China has been leading the charge with these installations, and has deployed vessels to the region to protect their interests.
Chinese coast guard vessels have used a water cannon on Vietnamese vessels, as well as blockading an island where the Philippines has deployed military personnel.
Topics: world-politics, foreign-affairs, unrest-conflict-and-war, vietnam, china, asia
