Vietnam says Chinese oil survey vessels violated its sovereignty

Vietnam said on Friday a Chinese oil survey vessel and its escorts had conducted activities in Vietnam's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf that violated its sovereignty.

Vietnam has demanded China stop the “unlawful activities” and that its ships leave Vietnamese waters, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said in a statement.

Hang's statement comes days after two Washington-based think-tanks said Vietnamese and Chinese ships had been engaged in a weeks-long standoff near an offshore oil block in disputed waters of the South China Sea, which fall within Vietnam's exclusive economic zone.