Chinese Pressure On Vietnam Over South China Sea Border Dispute Has Forced Vietnam To Cancel Contracts With Oil Firms

The Diplomat: China’s Pressure Costs Vietnam $1 Billion in the South China Sea

Vietnam is compensating international oil companies after cancelling their contracts in the dispute region over pressure from China.

Vietnam has agreed to pay around a billion dollars to two international oil companies after cancelling their South China Sea operations following pressure from China. A well-placed oil industry source has told The Diplomat that Vietnam’s state-owned energy company PetroVietnam will pay the money to Repsol of Spain and Mubadala of the United Arab Emirates in “termination” and “compensation” arrangements. In a statement, a Repsol spokesman said he “would not be willing to confirm or deny the figures” but an analysis of the company’s financial statements suggests that a very large amount of money is involved.

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Update #1: Oil Company Pulls Out of Vietnamese Oil Field as China Puts the Squeeze on Vietnam (RFA)
Update #2: Did China Block Vietnam Offshore Oil Contract? (VOA).

WNU Editor: Besides ramming Vietnamese boats (see above video), it is obvious that China is putting enormous trade and financial pressure on Vietnam over their South China Sea border dispute. But what has surprised me is how quickly Vietnam has folded, and are now almost begging China to be nice .... Vietnam asks China to control conflicts at sea (VNExpress).

Vietnam Protests Chinese Military Drills In The South China Sea

A crewman from the Vietnamese coastguard ship 8003 looks out at sea as Chinese coastguard vessels give chase to Vietnamese ships that came close to the Haiyang Shiyou 981, known in Vietnam as HD-981, oil rig in the South China Sea, July 15, 2014. REUTERS/Martin Petty

Reuters: Vietnam protests Chinese military drills in South China Sea

HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam’s foreign ministry has lodged a complaint with China over military drills in the South China Sea that it said were “detrimental” to Beijing’s relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Vietnam and the Philippines warned of growing insecurity in Southeast Asia at a regional summit last Friday, amid concerns that China was using the cover of the coronavirus pandemic as a means to step up its activity in the disputed waterway.

On Wednesday, China began five days of drills in waters near the Paracel Islands, where Vietnam has competing claims, according to a June 27 announcement by the Maritime Safety Administration of Hainan, a large provincial island off China’s southern coast.

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Update #1: Vietnam protests Chinese military exercises in East Sea -- VN Express
Update #2: China Conducts Naval Drills in South China Sea -- The Diplomat

WNU Editor: The Philippines are also protesting .... Lorenzana: Chinese military drills in South China Sea 'highly-provocative' (ABS-CBN).

Vietnam Protests China's Expansion In The South China Sea

Reuters: Vietnam protests Beijing's expansion in disputed South China Sea

HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam protested on Sunday at China saying it had established two administrative units on islands in the South China Sea, in Beijing’s latest move to demonstrate its assertiveness in the disputed waters.

China has recently been pushing its presence in the energy-rich waters while other claimants are pre-occupied with tackling the new coronavirus pandemic, prompting the United States to call on China to stop its “bullying behaviour” there.

On Saturday it said it had established an administrative district on the Paracel islands and another on the Spratly islands. The two districts are under the control of China’s Sansha city, according to China Global Television Network.

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Update #1: Vietnam denounces China's district formations on Vietnamese islands (VNExpress).
Update #2: Vietnam protests Chinese districts in S.China Sea (NHK News)

WNU Editor: Here is an easy prediction. China will ignore Vietnam and its protests.

Vietnam Hopes China ‘Will Show Restraint’ On The Issue Of The South China Sea In 2020

SCMP/Reuters: South China Sea: Vietnam hopes Beijing ‘will show restraint’ in 2020 after year of tension

* Earlier this year, a Chinese oil survey vessel and its escorts spent months within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone
* ’What China did is very alarming and also kind of threatening not only Vietnam but also other countries,’ Vietnamese diplomat said

Vietnam said it hoped China would show restraint in the South China Sea next year after a Chinese oil survey vessel and its escorts spent months within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, which Hanoi regarded as a blatant violation of its sovereignty.

Vietnam, the region’s most forceful challenger of China’s extensive maritime claims to the busy waterway, will take on the rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in 2020.

“I hope that during our chairmanship China will show restraint and refrain from these activities,” Vietnam’s deputy foreign minister, Nguyen Quoc Dung, said at a lecture at The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. “What China did is very alarming and also kind of threatening not only Vietnam but also other countries that see the potential of being threatened in the future.”

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Update: South China Sea threat: Vietnam takes aim at ‘coercive’ Beijing in defiant message (Express)

WNU Editor: Someone should tell Vietnam that hope is not a strategy.

Update: China is responding to Malaysia's claims in the South China Sea .... Beijing censures Malaysia over fresh South China Sea claim (Reuters).

How A Few Islands In The South China Sea Are Raising Tensions Between China And vietnam

CNN: The tiny islands that could explode the China-Vietnam relationship

Da Nang, Vietnam (CNN)"The Paracel Islands!" the teacher shouts.

"Belong to Vietnam!" call back about 30 schoolchildren, even louder. Their chant echoes through the three-story Paracel Islands Museum in Da Nang, which officials say cost the Vietnamese government $1.8 million to build.

Since opening in 2018, about half of its 40,000 visitors have been schoolchildren, who can explore exhibits, including documents, maps and photographs, all curated to hammer home one point.

The Paracel Islands belong to Vietnam. Not to China.

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WNU Editor: Both sides have no interest in compromising.

Chinese Survey Ship With Coast Guard Escorts Return To Vietnam's Territorial Waters

Chinese research vessel Haiyang Dizhi 8 entered waters surrounding the Spratly islands, which are claimed by Vietnam. Xinhua

Radio Free Asia: Chinese Survey Ship, Escorts Return to Vietnam Waters: Reports

A Chinese survey ship has returned to Vietnam’s territorial waters in the South China Sea, according to media reports, days after leaving the disputed Spratly Islands, where it had been involved in a nearly month-long standoff with Vietnamese ships that prompted rare protests in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The Haiyang Dizhi 8, a ship operated by the China Geological Survey, had in July conducted a 12-day survey of waters near the Spratlys, with Chinese Coast Guard ships following in support.

At one point, China’s survey intruded into an offshore oil block in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off of the Spratlys’ westernmost reef, known as Vanguard Bank, leading to standoff near the area that touched off protests in front of the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi.

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Update #1: Chinese survey ship returns to disputed waters claimed by Vietnam (Al Jazeera)
Update #2: Chinese survey ship back in Vietnam-claimed waters (PhilStar/AFP)

WNU editor: These Chinese survey missions must really irk the Vietnamese.

Vietnam Demands China Withdraw Oil Exploration Ship From South China Sea

The presence of the Haijing Dizhi 8 in disputed waters sparked the stand-off between China and Vietnam. Photo: Handout

Al Jazeera: Vietnam demands China withdraws vessel from South China Sea

Reports suggest large-scale standoff between several coastguard ships from each country near the Spratly Islands.

Vietnam has called on China to remove an oil exploration ship from disputed waters near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

Reports in recent days have suggested a large-scale standoff between several coastguard ships from each country as a Chinese oil exploration ship entered contested waters near the Spratly Islands.

"Over the last several days, the Chinese survey ship, Haiyang Dizhi 8, and its escorts conducted activities in the southern area of the East Sea that violated Vietnam's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf," Vietnamese foreign affairs ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said in a statement on Friday, using the Vietnamese term for the South China Sea.

"This area lies entirely within the Vietnamese waters."

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WNU Editor: China is not going to comply .... China maintains pressure on Vietnam at Vanguard Bank (SCMP).

China Blocking Malaysian And Vietnamese Oil And Gas Vessels In The South China Sea

The 12,000-tonne Haijing 3901 helped obstruct Vietnamese oil and gas exploration. Photo: Baidu

SCMP: China blocking Malaysian and Vietnamese oil and gas vessels shows greater willingness to intimidate, says think tank

* Actions at Vanguard Bank in disputed Spratly Islands ‘raises collision risk’
* Think tank cites data showing China has harassed those countries’ ships for at least six weeks

The risk of collisions between Chinese vessels and those from Malaysia and Vietnam in the South China Sea has been heightened in recent weeks as China has tried to obstruct the two countries’ oil and gas exploration, a Washington-based think tank said on Wednesday.

The analysis comes with a stand-off simmering between Chinese and Vietnamese vessels at Vanguard Bank, a reef in the disputed Spratly Islands
, risking an escalation of tensions and anti-China protests as it did five years ago.

Beijing has shown it is increasingly willing to use force and threats to block its neighbours’ oil and gas ambitions, said the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, which works under the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

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Update: Vietnam, China embroiled in South China Sea standoff (Reuters)

WNU Editor: This is going to get worse. This is also true .... China-Vietnam: Comrades in words, not in actions? (Asia Times).

Chinese And Vietnamese Coastguard Vessels In Stand-Off Over Chinese Survey Ship Mission

The presence of a Chinese survey ship in South China Sea territory claimed by Vietnam has led to a stand-off between the countries’ coastguard vessels. Photo: China Geological Survey

SCMP: China and Vietnam in stand-off over Chinese survey ship mission to disputed reef in South China Sea

* Coastguard vessels eye each other across Vanguard Bank
* Haiyang Dizhi entered waters near reef to carry out seismic survey operation

Chinese and Vietnamese coastguard vessels have been involved in a week-long confrontation over a reef in the South China Sea, risking the biggest clash between the two nations in five years.

The stand-off may trigger a wave of anti-China sentiment in Vietnam not seen since 2014, when a Chinese oil rig arrived off the disputed Paracel Islands.

Six heavily armed coastguards vessels – two Chinese and four Vietnamese – have been eyeing each other in patrols around Vanguard Bank in the Spratly group of islands since last week. About a dozen vessels were reported in the vicinity by marine tracking websites on Thursday.

The stand-off emerged despite a pledge in May by Chinese and Vietnamese defence ministers to settle maritime disputes by negotiation.

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Update: China, Vietnam ships in standoff in disputed South China Sea (Times of India)

WNU Editor: There is no common ground between China and Vietnam on this issue. In the meantime Chinese President Xi is trying to project a positive image when it comes to Vietnam .... China Focus: Xi calls on China, Vietnam to lift ties to new level (Xinhuanet).

Will China Initiate Military Hostilities Against Vietnam?

Image Credit: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. J.J. Harper

Derek Grossman, The Diplomat: Vietnam Is the Chinese Military’s Preferred Warm-Up Fight

At some point, the Chinese military will need to test its new capabilities – and Vietnam is likely the preferred adversary.

In mid-April, China conducted a series of fresh military flights through the Bashi Channel and Miyako Strait, on the south and north ends of Taiwan, respectively. As has been the case many times in the past, these new activities were clearly meant to signal Beijing’s resolve to resort to force against the island and its U.S. and allied defenders if necessary. But there is another, less often discussed reason for these drills. Repeated transits through the Bashi Channel and Miyako Strait offer the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) the opportunity to train over future potential battlefields.

Indeed, practice makes perfect. And this is especially true when the PLA is playing from behind. During his address to the 19th Party Congress in October 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the PLA “to be fully transformed into world-class forces” by 2050. An apparent reference to reaching on par status with U.S. forces, “world-class forces” would be nearly impossible to achieve without realistic training. According to a recent analysis by long-time PLA watcher Dennis Blasko, the PLA has been highly critical of its warfighting capabilities internally and even, to some extent, publicly. These shortcomings prompted Xi this year to order the PLA to engage in intensive rounds of realistic combat training scenarios.

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WNU Editor: The Germans did the same thing before invading Poland in 1939. They tested the political and military resolve of the West when they moved military forces in the Rhineland in 1936,  followed by the takeover of Austria and the Republic of Czechoslovakia in 1938.Vietnam has no formal security alliances. They are alone, and will not be able to call on other countries to assist them if their maritime border dispute with China becomes a military one.

China - Vietnam Maritime Clashes Are Becoming The New Normal In The Contested Waters In The South China Sea

Chinese ship reportedly rams and sinks a Vietnamese fishing boat in the Paracels (again). China's neighbors have become so numb to the constant exercise of low-intensity violence and intimidation that it will warrant barely a mention in regional press. https://t.co/fgumeS3MXR

— Greg Poling (@GregPoling) March 7, 2019

VOA: China, Vietnam Regularly Clashing at Sea Despite Diplomacy

TAIPEI — A capsized Vietnamese fishing boat that Hanoi says was hit by a Chinese vessel in contested waters is the latest in what scholars call a string of often unreported maritime mishaps between the two sides despite official efforts to get along.

The fishing boat carrying a crew of five capsized on March 6 near the Paracel Islands, a group of South China Sea islets claimed by both countries but controlled by China.

The National Committee for Incident-Natural Disaster Response and Search and Rescue in Hanoi says a Chinese vessel rammed the boat near Discovery Reef due east of Vietnam and southwest of Hong Kong, according to the news website VnExpress International. Another Vietnamese fishing boat rescued the crew, the report says. China rejects blame for the mishap.

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More News On China - Vietnam Maritime Clashes In The South China Sea

Vietnam claims a Chinese ship rammed and sank a fishing boat in the latest South China Sea clash -- Business Insider
Vietnam says fishing boat rammed and sunk by Chinese ship in South China Sea -- Japan Times/AP
Vietnam says investigating cause of boat's sinking in contested waters -- Reuters
South China Sea tensions at new high after Vietnamese boat rammed and sunk -- News.com.au

This Is How Vietnam Would Wage War Against China

A Russian ‘Kilo’-class submarine of the kind which Vietnam uses. Flickr

Robert Beckhusen, War On The Rocks: Vietnam’s Plan to Counter China Is a ‘People’s War’ at Sea

Asymmetric tactics involve fishing boats and submarines.

Vietnam has reason to worry about China — particularly China’s increasing presence in the South China Sea complete with air bases on artificial islands and a massive maritime militia comprised of fishing boats, with crews answering directly to the People’s Liberation Army.

Vietnam has its own claims in the region, and recent naval patrols and a landing by a Chinese H-K bomber in the Paracel Islands — a first — have amounted to a violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty, Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry stated on May 21.

What’s less clear is how Vietnam would respond if tensions with China were to ever escalate to armed conflict. The scenario is not out of reach. China’s single war since the Korean War was with Vietnam in 1979. In 1988, Chinese troops and naval gunfire killed 64 Vietnamese soldiers at the Johnson South Reef. And during the past few years, Vietnam has patiently bolstered its military with the help of a long-time partner, Russia, clearly in response to China’s own maneuvers at sea.

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WNU Editor: Chinese and Vietnamese tensions over the South China Sea are getting intense. From China .... China’s navy and coastguard stage first joint patrols near disputed South China Sea islands as ‘warning to Vietnam’ (SCMP). From Vietnam .... Chinese ships were 'invading' Vietnamese waters: top defense official (VNExpress). And while Vietnam may wish to stand-up to China .... facts are facts .... in any conflict the Chinese have such a huge advantage in material, resources, military assets, and bases .... that any dispute/fight will end very quickly in favor of China.

China Is Now Claiming Control Over All Oil And Gas Activity In The South China Sea

Chinese tourists wear T-shirts with a Chinese map that violates Vietnam's sovereignty. Photo by Vu Cha

Reuters: China says no one can carry out oil, gas activities in Chinese waters without Beijing's permission

BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that no country, organization, company or individual can carry out oil and gas exploration or exploitation in Chinese waters without permission from Beijing.

Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the comment at a regular news briefing when asked about recent drilling by Rosneft Vietnam BV, a unit of Russian state oil firm Rosneft, in an area of the South China Sea that is claimed by China.

“We urge relevant parties to earnestly respect China’s sovereign and jurisdictional rights and not do anything that could impact bilateral relations or this region’s peace and stability,” Lu said.

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Update: Beijing Claims Control Over All Oil, Gas Activity in South China Sea (Sputnik).

WNU editor: This Chinese claim of control over all oil and gas activity in the South China Sea is directed at Vietnam .... China Crushes Vietnam’s South China Sea Drilling Hopes (OilPrice.com). Vietnam has a different point of view .... Vietnam says conducts maritime oil operations under international law (Reuters). The Russian oil company that is doing the drilling for Vietnam is nervous .... Rosneft Vietnam Worried About South China Sea Drilling (OilPrice.com).

Vietnam Demands China Remove Its Missiles From The South China Sea

Business Insider: Vietnam asks Beijing to withdraw its missiles from the South China Sea

* Vietnam has asked China to withdraw military equipment from the South China Sea, following media reports this month that China had installed missiles there.
* China installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on three of its outposts in the South China Sea, according to sources with direct knowledge of U.S. intelligence reports.
* China claims 90 percent of the potentially energy-rich maritime territory. Other Asian countries including the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims to parts of the waterway.

HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam has asked China to withdraw military equipment from the South China Sea, following media reports this month that China had installed missiles there.

"Vietnam requests that China, as a large country, shows its responsibility in maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea," Vietnamese foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said in a Tuesday statement, referring to the South China Sea.

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Update #1: Vietnam demands China remove military equipment from disputed South China Sea islands -- Jane's 360
Update #2: Hanoi demands Beijing withdraw missiles from disputed islands -- AFP

WNU Editor: It is too late for Vietnam .... and for everyone else to stop the Chinese .... Beijing winning the great South China Sea game (Jansen Tham, Japan Times).

Both China And Vietnam Have Come To An Understanding That Their Maritime Disputes Must Be Settled Through Talks

China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Vietnam's President Tran Dai Quang at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam April 1, 2018. REUTERS/Kham

Reuters: China and Vietnam call for maritime disputes to be settled

HANOI (Reuters) - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday China and Vietnam should settle their disputes in the South China Sea through talks and move to jointly exploit its waters.

“We have agreed that settling the maritime issues is extremely important for the healthy and sustainable development of bilateral relations,” he told reporters after a meeting with Vietnamese Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh in Hanoi.

China claims 90 percent of the potentially energy-rich maritime territory and has been building on and militarizing rocky outcrops and reefs in its waters.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also lay claim to parts of it, through which about $5 trillion of trade passes each year. Vietnam is the country most openly at odds with China over the issue.

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Update: Beijing, Hanoi promise to keep peace in South China Sea (ABS-CBN/AFP)

WNU Editor: China and Vietnam have had these talks before (only last year), as well as an agreement that they will resolve their differences amicably .... China, Vietnam agree to keep South China Sea tensions in check (May 15, 2017, Reuters). I predict that the same will happen with this agreement .... their differences are just too big.

China Successfully Pressures Vietnam To Cancel A Major Oil Project In The South China Sea

BBC: South China Sea: Vietnam 'scraps new oil project'

Vietnam has cancelled a major oil project in the South China Sea for the second time in a year, in the wake of Chinese pressure, the BBC has learned.

State-owned PetroVietnam ordered Spanish energy firm Repsol to suspend a project off the south-east coast, a well-placed industry source said.

It means Repsol and partners could lose up to $200m of investment already made.

The news is unexpected as final preparations for commercial drilling were under way.

China is likely to regard this move as a significant victory. The Vietnamese decision seems to demonstrate that the recent show of force in the South China Sea by the United States has not changed Vietnam's strategic calculations.

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WNU Editor: China must have really put the squeeze on Vietnam to cancel this project.

More News On China Successfully Pressuring Vietnam To Cancel A Major Oil Project In The South China Sea

Vietnam halts South China Sea oil drilling project under pressure from Beijing -- Reuters
Vietnam Halts Oil Project In South China Sea -- OilPrice.com
The craziness of China's island claims -- Washington Examiner
Why March 2018 Was an Active Month in Vietnam's Balancing Against China in the South China Sea -- The Diplomat

Vietnam Protests Chinese Military Exercises In The South China Sea

Reuters: Vietnam protests at Chinese military drill in South China Sea

HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam on Thursday opposed what it said was a Chinese announcement of military exercises in the disputed South China Sea, amid rising tension between the neighboring countries.

Vietnam did not give any details of when it said the announcement was made or when any drill would take place.

China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of business hours and it was not immediately clear which drills the Vietnamese statement was referring to.

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Update: Hanoi Objects to Annual Chinese Military Drills in South China Sea -- Sputnik

WNU Editor: The Chinese are not impressed with Vietnam's objections .... China Rebuffs Vietnam’s Protest Over Maritime Drills (OAN).

Tensions Between China And Vietnam Results In Their Foreign Ministers Cancelling Their Meeting

A crewman from a Vietnamese coastguard ship observes as Chinese coastguard vessels chase Vietnamese ships in the South China Sea. Photo: Reuters

SCMP: China-Vietnam maritime tensions flare as foreign ministers meeting called off

Cancellation on sidelines of Asean gathering comes after Hanoi pushes for bloc to take tougher stand against Beijing in South China Sea

Strife between Beijing and Hanoi over the South China Sea boiled over on Monday when a scheduled one-on-one meeting of the two countries’ foreign ministers was called off.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was due to meet his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh in Manila on the sidelines of a gathering of diplomats from Asean countries.

But a Chinese official said the meeting did not take place.

No reason was given for the cancellation and it was not clear if another meeting would be arranged before the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ foreign ministers gathering ended on Tuesday.

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Update #1: China, Vietnam meeting canceled amid South China Sea tensions -- Reuters
Update #2: Hanoi, Beijing Call Off Meeting as South China Sea Drama Brews -- Sputnik

WNU Editor: Vietnam is looking for allies .... Vietnam ‘may tilt towards US’ in regional power play with China (SCMP). More here .... Vietnam wins US defence pledges as tension with China grows (Reuters).

Vietnam Halts Drilling In The South China Sea After China Warned That They Would Attack Vietnamese Island Bases If They Did Not

Image: The Economist

BBC: South China Sea: Vietnam halts drilling after 'China threats'

Vietnam has reportedly terminated a gas-drilling expedition in a disputed area of the South China Sea, following strong threats from China.

A source in the south-east Asian oil industry has told the BBC that the company behind the drilling, Repsol of Spain, was ordered to leave the area.

It comes only days after it had confirmed the existence of a major gas field.

Those reports have been corroborated by a Vietnamese diplomatic source.

According to the industry source, Repsol executives were told last week by the government in Hanoi that China had threatened to attack Vietnamese bases in the Spratly Islands if the drilling did not stop.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, including reefs and islands also contested by other nations.

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WNU Editor: The Vietnamese got scared.

More News On Vietnam Halting Its Drilling In The South China Sea After Chinese Threats

Vietnam Calls Off Drilling In South China Sea -- OilPrice.com
Vietnam stops drilling for energy in South China Sea after Beijing threatens to attack bases -- International Business Times
Vietnam stops drilling in South China Sea after threats from Beijing -- The Globe
Alarming Escalation in the South China Sea: China Threatens Force if Vietnam Continues Oil Exploration in Spratlys -- The Diplomat

Vietnam Has Started To Drill For Oil In Waters Claimed By China

BBC: Vietnam drills for oil in South China Sea

Vietnam has begun drilling for oil in an area of the resource-rich South China Sea also claimed by China.

An oil industry consultant told the BBC that a drilling ship on contract to international firm Talisman-Vietnam was working off Vietnam's south-east coast.
This appears to be why a senior Chinese general cut short an official visit to Vietnam last month.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, including reefs and islands also contested by other nations.

According to Ian Cross, of Singapore-based Moyes & Co, the drillship Deepsea Metro I, began to drill in an area of sea about 400km (250 miles) off the Vietnamese coast on 21 June.

It is likely that the news was kept secret because of its extreme sensitivity.

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WNU Editor: Vietnam warned China last year to stop drilling in contested waters, but China refused .... Vietnam Tells China To Remove Oil Rig From Disputed East China Sea Waters (April 8, 2017). It took a year, but I guess this is Vietnam's response to China.