Despite China's claims that peace and stability are its most important foreign policy goals, recent actions seem to reveal more dubious motives.

China’s provocative actions involving an illegally operating oil rig in Vietnamese waters are in violation of its commitments and appear to go against the pronounced spirit of friendly cooperation between the two nations.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pham Binh Minh, has said that China's aggressive actions have hurt the credibility of China among Vietnamese people.

Chinese exploratory oil drilling in Vietnamese waters, which started on May 1, has brought about strong reaction from the international community.

A Chinese ship attacking a Vietnamese vessel on May 4

At a press held conference on May 7, the Deputy Director of the National Boundary Commission, Tran Duy Hai, said that China deployed many vessels of various types, including military armed fishing boats and official patrols, to cruise 50-60 nautical miles off of Ly Son Island, adding that the number of Chinese vessels in the area is increasing.

The international press conference about the Chinese violation was held in Hanoi on May 7

Hai added that eight Vietnamese boats in total have been rammed and blasted with water cannons by the Chinese boats in the past few days. Six Vietnamese nationals so far have been injured in such confrontations.

The Chinese also deployed aircraft to fly over a Vietnamese ship to intimidate Vietnamese sailors in their own waters.

China's actions have been the cause of outrage among Vietnamese people, and news stories concerning the matter have been proliferous, prompting many comments from readers.

One DTiNews reader named Linh said “We are willing to make sacrifices to protect our nation's borders.”

Another reader named Huy said, “Vietnamese people are universally angered by these violations by the Chinese. The question now is how to deal with it. We must work out a proper solution."

Virtually all commenters have voiced outrage and feel an urgent need to settle the matter quickly.

The Vietnamese government has expressed its wish to resolve the dispute peacefully, but “will apply all necessary and suitable measures to defend its rights and legitimate interests," minister Pham Binh Minh was quoted as saying.

Vietnam has also requested that China make compensations for damages to Vietnamese vessels.