East Sea tensions: Do not add fuel to the fire (VOV) - China’s installation of its drilling rig in Vietnam’s sovereign waters has attracted huge global attention over the past week, viewed as an intentional and provocative act. It is intimidating that China has deployed a flotilla of more than 80 vessels, including many military ships, to escort the drilling rig. In fact, this is an act of territorial incursion, part of China’s East Sea domination policy. China is attempting to stir up the so-called inherent interest, aiming to realise the “nine-dash line’ ambition in the East Sea, overlooking the fact that the territorial waters it claims belong to a sovereign nation. This is an ill-intentioned strategy China has applied to turn the waters of another country into a disputed area to then claim the total or part of that area for itself. A Chinese ship on March 13 rammed a Vietnamese boat near China's drilling rig Ocean-981 China is carrying out a force-driven incursion plan under the pretext of placing an oil rig in Vietnam’s territorial waters, reminiscent of the ‘gunboat diplomacy’ tactic invasion forces used elsewhere in the world. It’s worth noting that China’s illegal move comes when leaders of the two countries agreed Vietnam and China will develop their relationship based on the motto of ‘good neighbours, good friends, good comrades, and good partners’ and the 16-golden words of ‘friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability, and future oriented thinking”. They agreed to break with the past, cement the time-honoured friendship, and maintain a peaceful environment. Both countries committed to maintaining stability in the East Sea, refraining from unilateral acts to muddy the waters, and settling all differences through peaceful talks. China and ASEAN also signed the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), under which they agreed to resolve marine disputes peacefully, without resorting to threat or use of force, while respecting international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.  It is apparent that with the deployment of its rig in Vietnam’s territorial waters, China pays no heed to what it has committed. A global power and a UN Security Council member, China behaves likes it’s at the top of the food chain towards smaller neighbouring nations. Despite many upheavals, Vietnam and China are close neighbours and friends. Vietnamese people appreciate China’s effective assistance for their protracted war of resistance against colonialism, culminating in the victory of the Dien Bien Phu battle in 1954. China’s illegal placement of its oil rig in Vietnam’s territorial waters betrays the loyalty and sentiment between the two countries and challenges a peace-loving nation that respects justice and never surrenders to any invasion. Do not add fuel to the fire. China should immediately stop ill-intentioned actions and return an environment of peace and friendship to the East Sea. That is the way a global power should behave towards a smaller nation. VOV