China slams Vietnam’s missiles in South China Sea

With China mulling its options to counter Vietnam's reported plan to send mobile rocket launchers to the disputed South China Sea, Chinese media on Thursday termed the move a “terrible mistake” and asked Hanoi to “draw lessons” from the war in 1979 between the two countries.

“If Vietnam’s latest deployment is targeting China, that would be a terrible mistake. We hope Vietnam will remember and draw some lessons from history,” an article in the state-run Global Times said. While the Vietnamese foreign ministry reportedly termed the media report as “inaccurate”, the discreet deployment appeared to have caught China by surprise specially in the backdrop of Beijing’s efforts to reinforce its control over the South China Sea after the international tribunal struck down China’s claims over almost all of the South China Sea.

China which rejected the verdict initiated by the Philippines petition has stepped up air and naval patrols to assert its controls over the region. China also enhanced its satellite monitoring of the area. The launchers deployed by Vietnam are said to be capable of striking China’s runways and important trade routes in the region with missiles and experts believe the move will likely raise tensions in the region, the article said. “As the waves created by the controversial South China Sea arbitration initiated by the Philippines have barely subsided, the reported new deployment by Vietnam will add to the difficulty of solving the South China Sea disputes peacefully,” it said.