A Chinese research ship, escorted by five Chinese Coast Guard vessels, navigated waters in part of Vietnam's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) Friday after being asked to leave by Vietnam the previous day.
Reuters reported Friday that the Chinese research and survey vessel Xiang Yang Hong 10 navigated close to gas blocks operated by Russian companies in the South China Sea while being flanked by five Chinese Coast Guard ships a day after Vietnam asked the ships to leave the area.
"The Chinese vessel Xiang Yang Hong 10 began operating in Vietnam's EEZ on May 7, representing the most significant incursion since 2019," Ray Powell, who leads Stanford University's Project Myoushu on the South China Sea, told Reuters, calling the situation a "worrying escalation."
On Thursday, Reuters reported that Vietnam demanded the vessels leave the territory, accusing them of violating Vietnam's "sovereignty."
"Vietnam demands that China immediately remove the survey ship Xiang Yang Hong 10, Chinese coast guard ships and fishing vessels out of Vietnam's waters," Reuters reported foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang saying in a government statement Thursday.
"Vietnam has made contact with China several times and implemented measures in accordance with international law and Vietnamese law to ensure lawful and legitimate rights and interests of Vietnam."
According to the report, the two countries have disputed boundaries in the "potentially energy-rich" section of the sea, which is a strategic waterway that handles more than $3 trillion in commerce annually.
China claims the "scientific research" being carried out is a normal activity and is in areas under Chinese jurisdiction, the report said.
Radio Free Asia reported May 14 that a Chinese Coast Guard vessel had a "tense encounter" with a Vietnamese fisheries patrol boat, coming within 10 meters of each other.
"The Vietnamese ship was pretty bold given the difference in size — the Chinese ship is twice the size of the Vietnamese ship," Powell said in that report. "It must have been a very tense engagement."
According to the news outlet, the incident lasted about 90 minutes and took place about 50 nautical miles south of the Vanguard Bank "flashpoint" between the countries.
"Ten meters between ships is really too close for comfort," Collin Koh, a Singapore-based regional maritime analyst, told Radio Free Asia. "Depending on the sea state, the risk of collision is fairly high. If they were heading to the same direction a collision would have not been avoidable as the distance is too close and too dangerous."
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.