Vietnam fights China’s ‘nine-dash line’ amid old enmities

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – It came as no surprise to Vietnamese student Doan Thanh Hai that China’s infamous nine-dash line has been causing trouble in his country. “Domestic criticism of China, and just the use of the word ‘China’ in historical discussions, signals to Beijing that Vietnam is dissatisfied,” Grossman said. 🗣️🗣️🗣️Viet Nam demands #China to IMMEDIATELY STOP its serious violations and WITHDRAW all of the vessels from Vietnamese waters#SouthChinaSea pic.twitter.com/qeGrEauOHb — MoFAVietNam Spokesperson September 13, 2019 During the heated standoff, Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong said Vietnam should “never compromise” on its sovereignty and territorial integrity while Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe insisted China would “not allow even an inch of territory that our ancestors have left to us to be taken away.” “It’s doubtful that will have much impact on China, which appears hellbent on impressing upon Vietnam and the other disputing countries that the South China Sea is China’s, as are the hydrocarbons and fish in the sea,” said Murray Hiebert, an expert in US-Vietnamese relations at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. At a lecture this week at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung said he hoped China would “show restraint” over the disputed waters.