By Carlyle A. Thayer*
We are receiving reports of a standoff between the China and Vietnam Coast Guards in the South China Sea. These reports are contradictory. Some reports say the confrontation is in the vicinity of Vanguard Bank, while other reports say it is further to the north and an area where China’s nine-dotted line overlaps with Vietnam’s Exclusive Economic Zone and where the China National Offshore Oil Company has declared oil exploration blocks. Irrespective, there is definitely something going on between Vietnam and China in the area and Vietnam seems to have reacted strongly.
