U.S. warns China its actions in sea disputes are straining relations

Fire is seen at a damaged Chinese owned shoe factory in Vietnam's southern Binh Duong province May 14, 2014. REUTERS/Thanh Tung Truong

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Anti-China violence subsided in Vietnam on Friday after the prime minister called for calm, but the United States said China's "provocative" actions in maritime disputes were dangerous and had to stop.

Thousands of people attacked businesses and factories in Vietnam's industrial parks earlier in the week, targeting Chinese workers and Chinese-owned businesses after Beijing parked an oil rig in a part of the South China Sea claimed by Hanoi. Many Taiwanese-owned firms bore the brunt because the crowds believed they were owned by mainland Chinese.