Chinese ships ignore Vietnam demand to leave area close to Russian-run gas fields

Deputy spokesperson for the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Phạm Thu Hang informing a press conference in Hanoi on May 25 that the Chinese survey ship Xiang Yang Hong 10 had violated Vietnam's EEZ. - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

HANOI/BEIJING (Reuters): A Chinese research ship and five escort vessels were in Vietnam's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on Friday (May 26) close to gas blocks operated by Russian firms in the South China Sea, a day after Vietnam urged the ships to leave.

The Chinese vessel Xiang Yang Hong 10 began operating in Vietnam's EEZ on May 7, representing the most significant incursion since 2019, according to Ray Powell, who leads Stanford University's Project Myoushu on the South China Sea.