Tensions have risen between China and Vietnam since China recently placed a massive oil rig near the disputed Paracel Islands off Vietnam's coast. China has accused Vietnam of sending ships and divers to disrupt its drilling operations, while Vietnam has accused China of threatening its vessels near the rig. "The two sides are testing each others' resolve to see who will blink first," said security analyst Alexander Vuving. "China is in a position to show it has more resolve than Vietnam. This is part of China’s overall strategy of turning the South China Sea into a Chinese lake. Once China can control the South China Sea, it can dominate the maritime areas of the western Pacific."
China has taken its case to the United Nations, accusing Vietnam of illegally disrupting Chinese drilling operations and ramming its ships. The Paracel Islands "are an inherent part of China's territory," said China's complaint to the UN, "over which there is no dispute." Once more, China makes up its own facts as it goes along, claiming as "indisputable" that which is eminently disputable.
Tensions have also risen between China and the Philippines over islands that China claims are an "indisputable" part of Chinese territory. Beijing has accused the Philippines of being "a determined challenger of Chinese national interests and the devoted hatchet man of foreign anti-China forces," the latter a clear reference to Manila's increasingly close relationship with Washington.
Now China is angry about a game of beach volleyball. This will not make it any easier for the rest of us to take China seriously as a world power.
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=78491.0