South China Sea Strategies for other nations (Not China)
- Thread starter PanAsian
- Start date
Blackstone
Brigadier
Not in case of Tonkin Gulf. China and Vietnam agreed on demarcation of the gulf, and I expect both sides to work out the problem as a law enforcement issue, because Beijing doesn't want more headaches and Vietnam's new Prime Minister probably would avoid stoking problems on a settled border. So, my guess is If evidence show the Chinese ship at fault, Beijing will likely go along with reasonable Vietnamese actions, something like warnings and fines.
Blackstone
Brigadier
The BBC article said the problem was lack of legal documents showing origin of oil, so there isn't a FON issue. Since it's the duty of UN members to combat illegal trade, Vietnam had both the moral and legal duties to enforce international maritime laws. Unless BBC's facts are wrong, I suspect both Beijing and Hanoi would align and call it cooperation on international law enforcement.
plawolf
Lieutenant General
Nope. That's called spin.
Vietnam said it seized the Chinese ship for 'intruding' into its waters, not for smuggling or any illegal economic activity.
The bit about 'necessary work permits and documentation on origin of oil' is just an excuse. Those would only apply if the ship was engaged in some sort of controlled activity within Vietnamese waters.
Otherwise, they are just passing through, in which case Vietnam would have zero right to demand it present any paperwork. Just like how America would not at all be pleased if the Chinese coast guard boarded an American flagged ship in China's EEZ as it was transiting, and then seized the ship because they didn't have Chinese work permits.
joshuatree
Captain
There's not enough info on this. First of all, the area in question is within the Sino-Vietnamese Tonkin Gulf Joint Resource Management Zone. Which means the Chinese have a right to fish within the area. Second of all, the BBC article stated the vessel was supplying fuel to other fishing boats, so it served as a mothership of sort, which is a reasonable action for a fishing expedition, not necessarily some nefarious activity or a "disguise". Third, and this is crictical, waters are not static. For all we know, the ship drifted to the Vietnamese side. Heck, even the US Navy accidentally entered Iranian waters off Farsi Island. Bach Long Vi is right at that border.
A lot of singling out, hype, and spin by the Western media about Chinese civilian vessels possibly doing illegal civilian activities intruding in others' waters. No such emphasis on all the other countries' civilian vessels possibly doing illegal civilian activities intruding in other's waters.
Indonesia sinks more foreign fishing boats off of Natuna Islands in the South China Sea; this time they're all from Vietnam and Malaysia. If you add that to last year's tally, that's Vietnam (46), Philippines (33), Thailand (21), Malaysia (16), Papua New Guinea (2) and China (1). The overwhelming majority of the fishing boats seized come from Vietnam and the Philippines, yet, you never hear a peep in the Western media about their fishermen's illegal activities.
plawolf
Lieutenant General
Indeed, anyone who actually looks at the facts compared to the western media coverage cannot possible reasonably conclude anything other than there being a very deliberate and co-ordinated information and media war being waged against China by the so-called 'free' western media.