Some 25 protesters arrested in Vietnam demonstrations against Beijing's "imperialism"
Hanoi (AsiaNews) - After a period of relative calm, Vietnamese police on Sunday broke up protests in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City against Beijing's "imperialist" policies towards the South China Sea, detaining at least 25 people. China has extensive claims in the Asia-Pacific region, which has rich fishing grounds as well as vast oil and gas reserves. Meanwhile, the Philippines would like to see Japan take on a greater military role to contain Chinese expansionism in the area.
Vietnam's Communist leaders frown upon public demonstrations. Although it has tried to protect its national interests (economy and energy), Vietnam is closely bound to its big brother, so anti-Chinese protests are particularly sensitive.
Anti-Chinese protests have also a more direct impact at home since they often come with demands for civil and political rights, as well as religious freedom.
On Sunday, police initially allowed about 200 protesters to march from Hanoi's Opera House through the streets. Shouting 'Down with China,' the latter carried banners bearing the slogan "China's military expansion threatens world peace and security".
After 30 minutes, police ordered demonstrators to disperse. When some continued, police pushed about 20 of them into a large bus which then drove quickly from the scene. After a few hours, the demonstrators were released, partly because of a protest outside the prison facilities.
Another protest took place in Ho Chi Minh City, where a few hundred protesters came out to shout their patriotism and resentment against Chinese policies.
Speaking to AsiaNews, Huynh Tan Mam, a medical doctor and a protest leader, said that if Beijing did not change its policies and restrict its threats, pressures and invasion of Vietnamese territorial waters, "we will continue to take to the streets to fight for our country." In his view, China "wants to take over 80 per cent of the South China Sea.
For his part, an intellectual from the ex Saigon, who asked his name be withheld, slammed the Vietnamese government for "selling out to Chinese Communists."
Another demonstrator instead called for a new policy of international alliances, turning to "other developed countries" and building ties of solidarity with "other Asian nations."
Faced with the same challenge, Filipino authorities are hoping for a stronger Japan to counterbalance China's military rise. In fact, the conflicting territorial claims in the Asia-Pacific region have triggered a scram for alliances that could upset its existing balance of power.
Following repeated failures to find common ground at ASEAN summits, and especially since China is exerting greater influence in Cambodia, Manila is now turning to Tokyo (and Washington) to contain Chinese "imperialism". For Filipino Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario, Japan "could be a significant balancing factor,"
Among all the nations of the Asia-Pacific region, China has the most extensive claims in the South China Sea. Its strategic aims are hegemonic in terms of trade, oil and natural gas.
Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are opposed to them, backed by the United States, which has its own strategic interests in the area.
In recent months, several incidents have occurred in some of the sea's richest fishing grounds, involving Navy ships and fishing boats from China, Vietnam and the Philippines.
.png)
12/02/2016 15:14
15/01/2007
