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Miami Herald
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Vietnam Intercepts China Research Ship Near Coast
Vietnam recently deployed a ship to intercept a Chinese survey vessel operating off its east coast, according to ship tracking data. The Chinese vessel spent much of the second half of June within Vietnam's maritime zone, in what Hanoi says is a violation of its sovereignty. Vietnam is one of several countries in the region with overlapping claims in the South China Sea, through which as much as one-third of global shipping passes each year. Beijing's sovereignty claims, which extend across most of the strategic waterway, have been a persistent source of tension with Vietnam and other countries in the region, as have Chinese coast guard, paramilitary, and research activities in the maritime zones of China's neighbors. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese embassy in Vietnam by email with a request for comment. Open-source data from Global Fishing Watch's ship-tracking platform shows that the Bei Diao 996, a twin-hulled research vessel, departed China's southernmost province of Hainan on June 10. From that point until July 4, the ship remained within or just outside Vietnam's exclusive economic zone (EEZ)-an area extending 230 miles from the country's coastline, where foreign fishing and survey activities are prohibited under maritime law without Vietnam's permission. For much of this period, the vessel conducted what appeared to be a hydrographic survey, repeatedly crossing into the EEZ in a "lawnmower pattern" commonly seen in seafloor mapping. On June 19, the Vietnamese fisheries vessel Kiem Ngu 471 can be seen departing from the coast and making a beeline for Bei Diao 996. The vessel spent the rest of June shadowing the Chinese ship, only leaving the area last week after Bei Diao 996 set a course back toward Hainan last week. "Vietnam's sustained response demonstrates its concern over China's intrusive survey tactics," said Ray Powell, director of the Stanford University-affiliated maritime analysis group SeaLight, who flagged the ship tracks on X (formerly Twitter). Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang pointed out during a press conference Thursday that foreign research and survey operations conducted within the country's EEZ are "violations of its sovereignty and jurisdiction" under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. At nearly 330 feet long and displacing 7,384 tons, Bei Diao 996 is outfitted to test deep-sea equipment, according to the state-owned China Classification Society. Analysts have previously flagged Chinese research vessels engaging in suspicious activities and warned they may be gathering intelligence-such as information on undersea cables or nearby military assets-that could strengthen China's strategic position in the region. Bei Diao 996's movements come against a backdrop of maritime friction between China and Vietnam. Hanoi bristled earlier this year after Beijing again announced an annual fishing ban covering waters within the EEZs of Vietnam, the Philippines, and several other neighbors. Vietnam has also protested China's move in 2024 and again this year to unilaterally introduce new territorial baselines in the Gulf of Tonkin in a bid to redefine its jurisdictional boundaries. Jun Kajee, lecturer at Southern Utah University and a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy, wrote in a report published by SeaLight last month: "Routine Chinese survey operations in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Taiwan Strait are no longer isolated events-they have become a defining feature of the region's maritime landscape. "These missions, often met with diplomatic protests from countries like Vietnam, the Philippines, and Japan, consistently raise tensions and test the resolve of neighboring states to defend their own maritime claims." China has yet to publicly respond to Vietnam's protest. Chinese maritime activities, including surveys and coast guard patrols in disputed areas, are likely to remain a point of friction in the South China Sea. Related Articles Map Shows 'Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone' Backed by Russia and ChinaUS Flexes Air Power With Ally in Contested South China SeaThe Limits of the New Anti-Western Axis | OpinionChina Military Uses Laser on US Ally's Aircraft: What to Know 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
08-07-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
Vietnam Intercepts China Research Ship Near Coast
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Vietnam recently deployed a ship to intercept a Chinese survey vessel operating off its east coast, according to ship tracking data. The Chinese vessel spent much of the second half of June within Vietnam's maritime zone, in what Hanoi says is a violation of its sovereignty. Why It Matters Vietnam is one of several countries in the region with overlapping claims in the South China Sea, through which as much as one-third of global shipping passes each year. Beijing's sovereignty claims, which extend across most of the strategic waterway, have been a persistent source of tension with Vietnam and other countries in the region, as have Chinese coast guard, paramilitary, and research activities in the maritime zones of China's neighbors. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese embassy in Vietnam by email with a request for comment. What To Know Open-source data from Global Fishing Watch's ship-tracking platform shows that the Bei Diao 996, a twin-hulled research vessel, departed China's southernmost province of Hainan on June 10. From that point until July 4, the ship remained within or just outside Vietnam's exclusive economic zone (EEZ)—an area extending 230 miles from the country's coastline, where foreign fishing and survey activities are prohibited under maritime law without Vietnam's permission. For much of this period, the vessel conducted what appeared to be a hydrographic survey, repeatedly crossing into the EEZ in a "lawnmower pattern" commonly seen in seafloor mapping. This undated photo shows the Bei Diao 996, a catamaran-type research vessel, moored at a port. This undated photo shows the Bei Diao 996, a catamaran-type research vessel, moored at a port. China Classification Society On June 19, the Vietnamese fisheries vessel Kiem Ngu 471 can be seen departing from the coast and making a beeline for Bei Diao 996. The vessel spent the rest of June shadowing the Chinese ship, only leaving the area last week after Bei Diao 996 set a course back toward Hainan last week. "Vietnam's sustained response demonstrates its concern over China's intrusive survey tactics," said Ray Powell, director of the Stanford University-affiliated maritime analysis group SeaLight, who flagged the ship tracks on X (formerly Twitter). Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang pointed out during a press conference Thursday that foreign research and survey operations conducted within the country's EEZ are "violations of its sovereignty and jurisdiction" under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. At nearly 330 feet long and displacing 7,384 tons, Bei Diao 996 is outfitted to test deep-sea equipment, according to the state-owned China Classification Society. Analysts have previously flagged Chinese research vessels engaging in suspicious activities and warned they may be gathering intelligence—such as information on undersea cables or nearby military assets—that could strengthen China's strategic position in the region. Bei Diao 996's movements come against a backdrop of maritime friction between China and Vietnam. Hanoi bristled earlier this year after Beijing again announced an annual fishing ban covering waters within the EEZs of Vietnam, the Philippines, and several other neighbors. Vietnam has also protested China's move in 2024 and again this year to unilaterally introduce new territorial baselines in the Gulf of Tonkin in a bid to redefine its jurisdictional boundaries. What People Have Said Jun Kajee, lecturer at Southern Utah University and a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy, wrote in a report published by SeaLight last month: "Routine Chinese survey operations in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Taiwan Strait are no longer isolated events—they have become a defining feature of the region's maritime landscape. "These missions, often met with diplomatic protests from countries like Vietnam, the Philippines, and Japan, consistently raise tensions and test the resolve of neighboring states to defend their own maritime claims." What's Next China has yet to publicly respond to Vietnam's protest. Chinese maritime activities, including surveys and coast guard patrols in disputed areas, are likely to remain a point of friction in the South China Sea.
American Military News
29-06-2025
- Science
- American Military News
Chinese ship conducts survey off Vietnam but Hanoi's state media stays silent
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. A Chinese survey ship has been repeatedly circling within Vietnam's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea since mid-June, raising concerns of a potential maritime standoff. The vessel, named Bei Dao 996 , was first tracked by SeaLight, which uses commercially available technology to monitor and expose so-called 'gray zone' activities — meaning coercive activities at sea that stop short of triggering a military response. China is often accused of adopting such tactics to assert its sweeping claims over the disputed waters in the South and East China Seas. On his X account, Ray Powell, director of SeaLight, revealed that the ship came close to Vietnam's coastline. In response, Vietnam's fishery surveillance vessel Kiem Ngu 471 closely shadowed the Chinese ship. The two vessels came as close as 80 meters apart, according to Powell, who warned that the encounter carries a 'risk of prolonged escalation' between the two countries. According to calculations by researcher Phan Van Song, area surveyed so far is nearly 2,000 square kilometers (770 square miles) — about 1,100 square kilometers (425 square miles) of which lies within Vietnam's EEZ, with the remainder falling within the country's extended continental shelf. An EEZ extends 200 nautical miles (230 miles) from the coast. It is where a country has sole rights to explore resources but must allow free passage to shipping. This particular stretch of water of Vietnam is considered sensitive as it lies near Cam Ranh, the nation's most important naval base and home to its submarine fleet. The survey ship is suspected of conducting dual-purpose activities – scientific research and military intelligence, according to SeaLight. The Vietnamese government has yet to respond to China's actions, and state-run media have not reported on the incident. Article 248 of theUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) stipulates that when conducting marine scientific research in the exclusive economic zone or on the continental shelf of a coastal state, the researching party is obligated to provide the coastal state with full information about the project no later than six months prior to the intended start date of the research. It appears unlikely that China would notify Vietnam before sending a survey ship. Beijing claims about 80 percent of the South China Sea as its own – an area roughly demarcated by the so-called nine-dash line which overlaps with waters claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. It also overlaps with waters inside the EEZ of Indonesia, although that country does not consider itself a South China Sea claimant. Speaking to RFA, Phan Van Song, the contributor to the South China Sea Research Foundation, said 'no matter what actions Vietnam takes, China will certainly continue its blatant and illegal survey activities.' The foundation was established by Vietnamese experts who focus on UNCLOS and the South China Sea. In recent years, China has repeatedly sent survey ships into the waters of other countries in the region. According to SeaLight, which was set up by volunteers from Stanford University, these vessels are largely state-owned and typically operate under the guise of civilian or scientific missions, but often engage in covert intelligence gathering or strategic signaling. During May and June 2024, the Chinese survey ship Xiang Yang Hong 10 remained for nearly a month in Vietnam's oil and gas fields. In April this year, another vessel, Song Hang , was seen zigzagging between the islands of the Philippines. China also sent a survey vessel into Malaysia's EEZ in the southern part of the South China Sea in 2023. These surveys are used to gather intelligence, including seafloor mapping, monitoring foreign military and commercial activities, and improving China's operational awareness for current and future contingencies, according to an analysis by SeaLight. Experts say China's gray-zone tactics have proven successful, allowing Beijing to advance its maritime claims while disguising its activities as civilian operations. This approach helps avoid direct military confrontation and limits the ability of other countries to respond effectively. A good way to counter China's tactics is through 'maritime transparency,' according to Powell, who believes that exposing China's actions as they occur helps clarify their gray-zone strategies and their impact on regional security.
