Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel
By Bear Lee
By Bear Lee
Taipei, Dec. 12 (CNA) A Chinese military vessel and a Vietnamese frigate recently had a close encounter near one of the islets in the disputed Spratlys in the South China Sea, according to a report by a Chinese media website.
The www.nhjd.net, which is devoted to reporting about the South China Sea issue, said that the Vietnamese frigate, the Dinj Tien Hoang, was cruising at sea around the Chinese-controlled Johnson South Reef, where construction work for a runway and other military facilities are ongoing.
The Chinese vessel, the Changzhou, was nearby and on the alert against the Vietnamese frigate.
The Vietnamese vessel was monitoring the construction of military facilities on the islet from just hundreds meters away, where it could even see the buildings under construction, a photo posted on the website shows.
Not far away from Johnson South Reef is the Vietnamese-controlled Collins (or the Johnson North) Reef, where Vietnamese military personnel were also watching the activities on the Chinese-controlled islet.
China has launched a land reclamation project to build a runway and port on Johnson South Reef, in an attempt to turn the islet into a military base that would allow the landing and takeoff of J-11 and other fighter jets.
The Dinj Tien Hoang, commissioned in 2011, is one of Vietnam’s most advanced vessels that it purchased from Russia. Before appearing in the disputed waters, the vessel had visited Indonesia, the Philippines and Brunei, according to a report by Hong Kong’s Apple Daily.
On the other hand, the Changzhou, belonging to China’s North Sea Fleet, was commissioned in the 1980s. It lags far behind the Dinj Tien Hoang in terms of combat capabilities.
In a naval battle in March 14, 1983, China mobilized all of the vessels under its South Sea Fleet to grab control of the Johnson South Reef by sinking or destroying several Vietnamese ships.
The South China Sea, reportedly rich in crude reserve, is claimed totally or in part by Taiwan, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.
Vietnam and the Philippines have increased their monitoring activities after China launched the construction project in the Johnson South Reef.
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