Vietnam accused of firing on Chinese boats

Xinhua ^ | September 29, 2003

[Tailgunner Joe]

China lodged representations to the Foreign Ministry of Vietnam Sunday on the Chinese fishing boats being chased and shot by Vietnamese armed boats.

"Chasing after and shooting at fishing boats under normal operation should be regarded as a severe incident," said a spokesperson from Foreign Ministry, adding that the Vietnamese side should stop the action.

China made contacts with the Vietnamese side and lodged representations shortly after being informed of the incident on Saturday. At the same time, the Chinese Embassy to Vietnam also made representations to the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry and requested that the Vietnamese side stop the action mentioned above, according to the spokesperson.

So far one of the two Chinese boats involved in the incident has returned and the other one is still missing and efforts to search for the missing one is underway.

"We will continue to express our concern for the incident. At the same time, we also request that the Vietnamese side provide cooperation in searching for the missing boat, make explanations for the incident, earnestly take measures to prevent the similar incidents from recurring and maintain the order of normal fishing operation in the Beibu Bay," said the spokesperson.

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Vietnam accused of firing on Chinese boats

Vietnamese armed boats attacked Chinese fishing vessels over the weekend in Beibu Bay, the state-run Xinhua news agency said Monday.

"Chasing after and shooting at fishing boats under normal operation should be regarded as a severe incident," a Foreign Ministry spokesman in Beijing said, confirming that a protest had been lodged.

Xinhua said one of two Chinese boats had returned but the other one was still missing. Beijing said it asked Hanoi to assist in the search for the vessel.

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China protests against Vietnam's detention of fishing vessels

China has issued a strong protest to Vietnam over its detention of Chinese fishing vessels in the disputed Gulf of Tonkin.

The foreign ministry's Asia director, Fu Ying, says Beijing is dissatisfied with an incident last week in which a vessel and its seven-member crew were detained by Vietnamese authorities.

In a statement quoted by the China News Service, Mr Fu says Vietnam had no right to detain fishermen who are carrying out their normal work in traditional fishing areas.

Chinese media says the boat and its crew have since been been released.

Five other Chinese fishing boats are being detained in Vietnam after being held in previous incidents.

The Gulf of Tonkin, called Beibu Gulf by China, is in the South China Sea.

It is claimed by both China and Vietnam, which fought a war over the area in 1988.

29/09/2003 11:46:18 | ABC

[Pro-Bush]

bttt

[DB]

There's something amusing about this story...

[marron]

I would like to follow Vietnamese/Chinese issues a little more closely. Viet Nam fought the Chinese and beat them. Twice. Thats after they beat us.

[Joe Boucher]

Gotta love the fighting between Viet Nam and china.
Keep them busy and leave Taiwan alone.
Would love to also see general strikes throughout china.
Another rebellion of the masses.

[avg_freeper]

China and their imperialist gun-boat diplomacy. Naughty little hegemonists, they are.

[joesnuffy]

China dominated Vietnam for many many years
It is a historic struggle for both countries
I could care less who wins or who loses any confrontation between them..
rots of ruck to both parties

[pawdoggie]

You gotta hand it to the Vietnamese commies: it takes guts to mix it up with a nuclear-capable regional superpower. Now brains...that's another matter.

[hchutch]

Agreed on that count.

Then again, the PRC's army tends to keep the dim ones in combat arms. The smart ones go into business.

[Revenge of Sith]

The 1988 skirmish was far from a victory for Vietnam. China was successful in seizing a reef in the Gulf of Tonkin by sinking 3 Vietnamese vessels and killing 72 sailors.

[RightWhale]

Keep them busy and leave Taiwan alone.

Taiwan Welcome To Send Seeds Aboard 'Shenzhou V'

translated by People's Daily

Beijing - Sep 30, 2003

China indicated Wednesday that if Taiwan wishes, it may send crop seeds for space experiments on the Shenzhou V spacecraft, expected to fulfill the nation's first manned space flight sometime later this year.

China indicated Wednesday that if Taiwan wishes, it may send crop seeds for space experiments on the Shenzhou V spacecraft, expected to fulfill the nation's first manned space flight sometime later this year. "Crop seeds in Taiwan like rice may be carried on board the Shenzhou V if our counterparts in Taiwan wish," said Liu Luxiang, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

According to Liu, China's mainland, which is reaching maturity in space breeding of crop seeds, is willing to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on agricultural sciences in a bid to promote the common development of agricultural technology on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Since 1987, Chinese scientists have sent more than 70 kinds of crop species on eight space missions and successfully cultivated a series of improved agricultural products with high-yield and high-quality, including rice, wheat, tomato, green pepper and sesame. China's Science and Technology Minister Xu Guanhua said Tuesday that preparations for China's first manned space flight are moving ahead "smoothly". A successful mission would make China the third country after Russia and the United States to launch a manned spacecraft.

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China will soon have other fish to fry and won't have time to bother with these old earth empire games.

[hchutch]

One other question:

Are these fishing boats that really fish, or are these the "fishing boats" that usually have two dozen radio antennas, a crew with remarkably good language skills, and do a pretty poor job of appearing to be in an area for the fish?

[Poohbah]

No bet on that one :o)

[riri]

I agree. I hope the CIA is more than a little involved stirring up the pot.

[RiflemanSharpe]

There's something amusing about this story...

This is interesting.

[Cronos]

You gotta hand it to the Vietnamese commies: it takes guts to mix it up with a nuclear-capable regional superpower.Well, why not? If they didn't, they'd get obliterated like the Tibetans, the Uighurs, the Inner Mongolians and the other non-Han groups. ASEAN was formed partly to put up a united front against China. That's why they've also invited the other Asian giant, India to parlay.

[Cronos]

I hope the CIA isn't involved -- it normally looks at things only in the short term and mucks it up badly in the long term -- witness Afghanistan where they supplied those hand held anti-aircraft missile launchers to the Mujahids and Talibs, ditto Iran where they brought the Shah to power, domino effect being the Ayatollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran, ditto Iraq and pupmping saddy with arms to fight against the Iranis. Too short sighted.

[.cnI redruM]

I can't help but wonder if these were truely fishing boats. Something about this story smells. I'm guessing the Vietnamese knew precisely what these boats were doing, and it wasn't angling for saltwater carp.

[oldironsides]

The Maryland and Virginia crabbers used to shoot at one another. Canada and New England are having a lobster tiff as we post. It happens

[JSteff]

The Vietnamese have b_lls. What if Taiwan did the same thing to the Chinese?

I still think we could have smashed them in a few months. However it does make you think what the Vietnamese eat that make them so fearless about bigger powers?