A Chinese ship has taken a tour several times in the exclusive economic zone of Vietnam (EZE) in the Southern China Sea since mid-June, raising the concerns of a potential maritime impasse.
The ship, named Bei Dao 996was first followed by Sealight, which uses the technology available commercially to monitor and expose so -called “gray zone” activities – which means coercive activities at sea which are not triggering a military response. China is often accused of adopting such tactics to assert its radical demands on disputed waters in the southern and eastern seas of China.
On his X account, Ray Powell, director of Sealight, revealed that the ship was approaching the coast of Vietnam. In response, the Vietnam Fisheries Surveillance Shipping Kiem NGU 471 shaded the Chinese ship. The two ships got closer 80 meters away, according to Powell, which warned that the meeting has a “risk of prolonged climbing” between the two countries.
According to the calculations of the researcher Phan van Song, the area questioned so far is nearly 2,000 square kilometers (770 square miles) – about 1,100 square kilometers (425 square miles), which is in the Vietnam ZEE, the rest falling in the prolonged continental college of the country.
An Eez extends to 200 naval miles (230 miles) from the coast. This is where a country has the right to explore resources but should allow a free passage to shipping.
This particular extent of Water from Vietnam is considered to be sensitive because it is near Cam Ranh, the most important naval base in the country and houses its underwater fleet. The investigation vessel is suspected of carrying out double -use activities – scientific research and military intelligence, according to Sealight.
The Vietnamese government has not yet responded to the actions of China and the media managed by the State have not reported the incident.
Article 248 of The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) stipulates that during the search for marine scientific research in the exclusive economic zone or on the continental plateau of a coastal state, the research party is obliged to provide the coastal information complete on the project at the latest six months before the planned start date of research.
It seems unlikely that China informs Vietnam before sending a survey. Beijing claims that around 80% of the Southern China Sea like its own – an area roughly delimited by the so -called nine dash line which rides the waters claimed by the Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. He also rides the waters inside the ZEE of Indonesia, although this country does not consider itself a seeker of the southern China.
Addressing RFA, Phan Van Song, contributor to the South China Sea Research Foundation, said: “Whatever actions that Vietnam will take, China will certainly continue its flagrant and illegal survey activities”. The Foundation was created by Vietnamese experts who focus on UNCLOS and the Southern China Sea.
In recent years, China has repeatedly sent survey ships to the waters of other countries in the region. According to Seallight, which was created by volunteers from the University of Stanford, these ships are largely belonging to the State and generally operate under the cover of civil or scientific missions, but often engage in a collection of secret information or strategic signaling.
In May and June 2024, the Chinese ship Xiang Yang Hong 10 remained for almost a month in the oil and gas fields of Vietnam. In April of this year, another ship, Singingwas seen zigzagging between the islands of the Philippines. China also sent a survey of Malaysia ZEE to the southern part of the Southern China Sea in 2023.
These surveys are used to collect information, in particular the mapping of seabed, the surveillance of foreign military and commercial activities and the improvement of the operational awareness of China for current and future contingencies, according to a Sealight analysis.
Experts say that tactics in the gray area of China have proven itself, allowing Beijing to advance its maritime claims while disguising its activities as civil operations. This approach avoids direct military confrontation and limits the capacity of other countries to respond effectively.
A good way to counter China tactics is “maritime transparency”, according to Powell, which believes that the exposure of China’s actions as they occur helps to clarify their gray zone strategies and their impact on regional security.
Translated by Truong Son. Edited by Mat Pennington.