SPOTD: China Blasts Vietnamese Ship With Water Cannon

Image: Vietnam Marine Guard via Reuters

A Chinese ship (R) uses water cannon on a Vietnamese Sea Guard ship on the South China Sea near the Paracels islands, in this handout photo taken on May 5, 2014 and released by the Vietnamese Marine Guard on May 8, 2014.

Vietnam said on Wednesday the Chinese vessel intentionally rammed two of its ships in a part of the disputed South China Sea where Beijing has deployed a giant oil rig, sending tensions spiraling in the region.

The Foreign Ministry in Hanoi said the collisions took place on Sunday and caused considerable damage to the Vietnamese ships. Six people suffered minor injuries, it said. China on Thursday rejected Vietnamese claims it acted aggressively in the South China Sea and called for a peaceful end to a bitter row sparked by Beijing’s parking of the giant oil rig in contested waters.

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