Remove vessels from Vietnamese waters, China told again

A Chinese oil survey vessel returning to Vietnamese waters is a ploy to ratchet up pressure on Vietnam and its supporters, experts say.

The White House accused China of bullying and coercion in the South China Sea on Tuesday, saying it would stand against the aggression.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has called out China’s "unlawful activities" in the South China Sea.

China wants Southeast Asian nations to play by the rules it sets in the South China Sea, known in Vietnam as the East Sea, an expert says.

Vietnamese Foreign Minister denounced illegal activities by a Chinese oil survey vessel in Vietnamese waters at an ASEAN meeting on Wednesday.

China wants to turn Vietnam’s sovereign East Sea territory into a disputed area to advance its superpower plans, an expert says.

The U.S. State Department said on Saturday it is concerned by reports of China’s interference with Vietnam and other countries' oil and gas activities.

Vietnam will fight with peaceful measures against sovereignty infringement in the East Sea, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

"This is part of our engagement in the region and this is in accordance with Australia's right of freedom of navigation."

China has for decades been involved in a dispute with many countries in the region over the territorial jurisdiction of a number of islands in the South China Sea (Vietnam’s East Sea).

Around 80 Vietnamese expatriates from countries all over the world have visited the country’s Truong Sa archipelago (Spratly Islands) in the East Sea.

The Vietnam-based Bien Dong Petroleum Operating Company, a 51:49 joint venture between PetroVietnam and Russia's Gazprom, has produced 4.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 1.1 million tons of gas condensate from the Hai Thach and Moc Tinh gas fields in Vietnam’s East Sea since August 2013, according to a Gazprom statement released on Tuesday.

Two coast guard vessels from Vietnam and two from China have wrapped up their 11th annual joint fishing patrol of common fishing grounds in the Gulf of Tonkin, the Vietnamese People’s Army Newspaper reported on April 23.