In disputed sea, Vietnam and China play high-stakes cat and mouse


Chinese oil rig Haiyang Shi You 981 (C) is seen surrounded by ships of China Coast Guard in the South China Sea, about 210 km (130 miles) off shore of Vietnam May 14, 2014. REUTERS/Nguyen Ha Minh

NEAR RIG HD-981 South China Sea (Reuters) - Crewmen in blue camouflage uniforms pour out onto the deck of a Vietnamese coastguard ship as an imposing Chinese vessel guarding a giant oil rig gives chase, gathering steam by the second.

A plume of smoke billows out as the engines of the Vietnamese ship rev up. A message of warning in Chinese language blares out across a loudspeaker.

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