China has sent missile-bearing vessels and minesweepers to the East Sea to patrol and deter Vietnamese ships as of May 28.

According to one DtiNews reporter in the area, in early morning of May 28 some ships by Vietnam Coast Guard together with three ships from the Vietnam Directorate of Fisheries, along with one fishing boat were moving towards the illegally placed the Haiyang Shinyou-981 oil rig in the East Sea.

China has sent missile-bearing vessels and minesweepers to the East Sea to patrol and deter Vietnamese ships as of May 28. Photo by Tuan Hop.

At 6:30am the ships were chased by a Chinese missile-carrying vessel.

Once the Vietnamese ships were around 10 nautical miles from the oil rig, there were more than ten Chinese vessels, including Chinese Coast Guard ships, aggressively preventing their approach into the disputed waters.

Vietnamese authorities used loudspeakers in an attempt to convince the Chinese ships to withdraw from Vietnamese waters. However, the Chinese ships announced that the sea area belonged to China and that the Vietnamese ships would be attacked if they did not turn around.

After, around ten Chinese ships surrounded one Vietnamese ship, taking provocative actions. In order to ensure their safety, the ships of the Vietnam Directorate of Fisheries divided into several groups, scattering, in order to outmaneuver the Chinese vessels. There was no damage to Vietnamese ships in the incident.

A few hours later, Chinese minesweepers were sent to patrol Vietnamese waters while the rocket-bearing ships were still searching for Vietnamese ships.

China has over 100 ships operating in the area around the oil rig, hindering Vietnamese ships from entering the space.