China/Vietnam: For Vietnam and China, No Easing of Tensions

Jun 18, 2014 | Jane Perlez, The New York Times
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HONG KONG — China and Vietnam exchanged sharp views Wednesday in their dispute over a Chinese oil rig deployed in contested waters in the South China Sea near Vietnam’s coast and appear to have made little headway in cooling tensions, according to accounts by both governments summarizing a top-level meeting in Hanoi.China’s state councilor, Yang Jiechi, accused Vietnam, which has sent ships to the area, of conducting “unlawful interference” in the operations of the rig, and told Vietnam that China would “take all necessary measures to safeguard its national sovereignty,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in the statement.