HANOI — Armed Chinese coast guard personnel boarded and ransacked two Vietnamese fishing vessels near the Paracel Islands on Saturday, destroying equipment, confiscating catch and assaulting crew members — the most violent incident involving Vietnamese fishermen in the South China Sea this year, according to Vietnam’s foreign ministry.
Three Vietnamese fishermen were treated for injuries at a hospital in Quang Ngai province upon returning to port, officials said. Television footage from state broadcaster VTV showed one boat with a damaged hull and torn fishing nets strewn across the deck.
Vietnam’s foreign ministry summoned China’s ambassador and demanded the immediate release of a third vessel and its crew, which was reportedly pursued and boarded by a second Chinese coast guard ship after fleeing the initial confrontation. The confrontation took place approximately 45 nautical miles northeast of the Paracel Islands, which China has occupied since 1974 but which Vietnam also claims.
“The actions of the Chinese side constitute a serious violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty and international law,” foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang told reporters in Hanoi. “We demand China immediately release the detained fishermen and their vessel, compensate for damages, and prevent similar incidents from recurring.”
China’s coast guard command said in a statement that the boarding was “law enforcement against illegal fishing in Chinese waters” and that Chinese personnel had “disposed of unlawful equipment and catches in accordance with regulations.” The statement did not address allegations of crew assault.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions across the South China Sea, where the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam have each clashed with Chinese maritime forces in separate confrontations in the past two weeks. Vietnam has filed a formal protest with Beijing and called for an emergency session of the ASEAN-China working group on maritime law enforcement.
The US State Department issued a statement calling the assault “dangerous and destabilising” and reaffirmed America’s support for freedom of navigation and the rights of coastal states to exploit their maritime resources without interference. The statement stopped short of naming China directly.
The two Vietnamese fishing boats, operating under the registration of Quang Ngai province, had been at sea for six days prior to the incident. Local fishermen’s associations said the seizure would have a devastating economic impact on the crews, several of whom are the sole breadwinners for their families.
Sources: Vietnam News Agency, Reuters, AP, Tuoi Tre, VnExpress, BBC, Nikkei Asia, Radio Free Asia
Written by Kenji Tanaka, Asia-Pacific Bureau Chief
Kenji Tanaka
Kenji Tanaka covers Asia Pacific security, technology, and geopolitics from Tokyo.