Hundreds of Vietnamese fishing boats intrude into Chinese waters, think tank claims

Beijing-based group suggests that some of the vessels were there to spy on Chinese military facilities

But analyst says there’s not enough evidence to show the boats were there for anything other than fishing

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Vietnamese fishing boats off islands in the Spratly group, one of the most contested locations in the South China Sea where China has established a strong presence. Photo: Reuters

Published: 12:00pm, 7 Mar 2020Updated: 10:45pm, 7 Mar 2020

More than 300 Vietnamese fishing boats ventured into Chinese waters during February and some crews manipulated transponder signals to avoid being tracked or identified, according to a Beijing-based think tank.

While some observers disputed suggestions that the vessels were there to spy on Chinese military bases, the report highlighted the increasing tensions between China and Vietnam in the South China Sea as Beijing and Washington vie for greater influence in the region.

The report by the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, affiliated with Peking University, said 212 Vietnamese vessels entered Chinese waters to the southeast of Hainan, and 99 more entered Chinese waters in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Seventy-three Vietnamese vessels encroached into Chinese territorial waters beyond limits agreed with Vietnam, while some of those were reported within the 12 nautical mile limit off Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, which borders Vietnam, it said.

Chinese coastguard ships have been pressing Beijing’s South China Sea claims. Photo: Reuters

The report said the crews of some of vessels overrode automatic identification transponders or used Chinese ID numbers, throwing law enforcement off their trail.