An incident in the South China Sea last month saw 10 Vietnamese fishermen beaten by officers from China’s Maritime Safety Administration near the Paracel Islands, reported local media.
According to Vietnamese accounts, Maritime Safety Administration vessels 101 and 301 from the Sansha City United Law Enforcement Unit surrounded the civilian vessel on the morning of Sept. 29. Three rubber hulled inflated boats were deployed by the patrol ships to board the fishing vessel, which was attempting to escape. Despite attempts from the QNg 95739 TS to prevent the boarding. Their efforts were unsuccessful.
Four of the Vietnamese fishermen were severely injured during the incident, which saw up to 40 Chinese officers board the boat to attack the crew with metal rods. The beatings resulted in broken limbs and even knocked the captain of the vessel, Nguyen Thanh Bien, unconscious according to an account from VnExpress International.
Local media reported that the boarders ransacked the vessel, letting go of the crew around noon. Vietnam Coast Guard rendered aid to the crew, and the vessel reached port by nightfall.
The incident is the latest in the disputed South China Sea between Beijing and regional claimants. While the vast majority of encounters have occurred with the Philippines, China has a history with Vietnam over features in the Spratlys and the Paracel Islands, the latter being where the latest incident happened. In 1974, China and South Vietnamese forces clashed in the Battle of the Paracel Islands, which saw Beijing effectively seize the islands from Vietnam. 14 years later, another skirmish occurred over the 1988 Johnston South Reef Skirmish in the Spratly Islands.
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“The question here is not Vietnam’s decision to publicize the incident, but rather China’s motivation for engaging in such aggressive behavior,” Duan Dang, a Vietnam-based maritime security analyst, told USNI News regarding Hanoi’s approach to the incident.
Dang explained that despite the severity of the Sept. 29 attack, these incidents and other actions by Beijing within the Vietnamese exclusive economic zone are not new, saying that “China’s aggressive tactics extend to regularly deploying survey vessels into Vietnamese waters, exerting undue pressure on Vietnam to halt its legitimate oil and gas projects within its own exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. Moreover, China often threatens and attacks Vietnamese fishermen.”
However, he also highlighted the unique relationship between Beijing and Hanoi, particularly its party-to-party relations and high-level communication channels. “These ties can potentially aid in de-escalating tensions and resolving crises. In some instances, when both nations have successfully negotiated issues privately, public disclosure may be deemed unnecessary,” Dang said.