Chinese ship rams into Vietnam fishing boat amid rising tensions
A Chinese ship rammed into a Vietnamese fishing boat and caused it to sink on Monday.
"I confirm that the fishing vessel was rammed. The 10 fishermen on board are on land now. They are safe. The ship sank," a Vietnamese maritime safety official told AFP.
The fishermen on board were rescued by other Vietnamese ships, according to a government statement posted on its website.
Dispute
This is just an escalation of the tense territorial confrontation in the South China Sea over Beijing's placement of an oil rig near the contested Paracel Islands.
China's assertive action sparked violent protests in Vietnam earlier this month.
Beijing was forced to send ships to evacuate workers from the country after three Chinese nationals were killed during these protests.
It was also reported that dozens of Chinese and Vietnamese vessels, including many civilian and fishing boats, have engaged in repeated brushes near the giant oil rig, including reported rammings and the use of water cannon.
Sources: AFP, Bloomberg, CNN
