China says told Vietnam to stop "hyping up" South China Sea oil rig row

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's top diplomat told Vietnamese officials on Wednesday that Hanoi must stop "hyping up" a row over a Chinese oil rig drilling in disputed waters in the South China Sea, China's Foreign Ministry said.

State Councillor Yang Jiechi also told his hosts during a visit to Hanoi that China's drilling in the area was "completely legal" and added that the disputed Paracel Islands belonged to China, ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily briefing in Beijing.