[maks_holi]

China may go to war with Vietnam to shore up support: Russian media

Staff Reporter
2012-07-17
08:03 (GMT+8)



A Russian-built Su-30MK2 in the Vietnamese air force. (Internet photo)

An article published in a Russian newspaper suggests that China's government will launch a war against Vietnam over the South China Sea, both to establish sovereignty over disputed islands and consolidate the support of its public.

While both Beijing and Hanoi are inviting foreign companies to explore the rich natural resources beneath the South China Sea, Moscow appears to have sided with Hanoi rather than Beijing.

Russia's Gazprom, the largest natural gas extractor in the world, has signed a contract with the Vietnamese government to develop resources in disputed areas, triggering protests from Beijing. At the same time, Moscow has provided military assistance to Vietnam's armed forces, importing advanced weapons such as Su-30MK2 fighters, Gepard-class frigates and Yakhont anti-ship missiles.

Russia has also supplied weapons to India, another of China's regional competitors, and took part in the RIMPAC joint naval exercises held by the United States and its allies in the Asia-Pacific. From the Russian point of view, China remains a much bigger threat than Vietnam or even the United States.

Yet the article said that the Chinese government may launch a war against Vietnam simply to consolidate the rule of the Communist Party within the country, where leaders consistently worry about "social stability."

The article said that China is now being isolated by nearly every capital in the region, where six parties claim sovereignty over all or part of the islands and reefs of the South China Sea. Roughly 30 Chinese fishing boats arrived at the disputed Spratly Islands on Sunday, under the protection of Fishery Administration Ship 301, reported China's state-run Xinhua news agency.

This fleet consisted of a 3,000-tonne supply ship and 29 other vessels, and will spend the next five to 10 days near the waters of Yongshu Reef, known in English as Fiery Cross Reef.