Posted on 04/12/2023 12:35:10 AM PDT by Right Wing Vegan
Russia's state-controlled oil company Zarubezhneft and gas giant Gazprom, working with a subsidiary of PetroVietnam, the country's state-owned fossil fuel company, operate a gas field in Vietnam's South China Sea exclusive economic zone (EEZ), according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a think tank in Washington.
Chinese coast guard ships have sailed into the areas operated by Russian firms in Vietnam’s EEZ about 40 times since January 2022, according to vessel-tracking data from Vietnamese research organization South China Sea Chronicle Initiative (SCSCI), an independent nonprofit, according to Reuters.
The most recent incident was on March 27, days after Russian President Vladimir and his counterpart Xi Jinping met to reaffirm their “no-limits friendship.” Moscow has become increasingly reliant on Beijing to break isolation and sanctions imposed by the West over its war in Ukraine.
Colin Koh, a research fellow of maritime security issues at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, told VOA Vietnamese that he believes Putin brought up the incidents involving the Chinese coast guard vessels in the South China Sea to Xi because working with Vietnam on energy drilling is in Russia’s interest.
Koh expressed doubt that Moscow would give up its energy partnership with Vietnam, as Beijing wants. Hanoi is “by far [Russia’s] most steadfast, most longstanding friend in Southeast Asia,” he wrote in a March 29 email to VOA Vietnamese.
“Will Moscow want to risk pushing Hanoi to the embrace of the West? ... And more broadly, does Russia really want to risk being seen as not only an unreliable partner by Vietnam, but also seen as playing second fiddle to China?” he said in the email.
(Excerpt) Read more at voanews.com ...
Vietnam and China do not like each other. They fought a brief war in 1979. Relations have normalized since then, but the Vietnamese remain closer to Russia than China.
CC
If Viet Nam and China get into a dispute, Viet Nam can’t rely much on Russia for help. Russia is busy elsewhere for now.
Yup, for centuries. That ouchy is not just going away.
I recall going to an Asian Trade Fair in Bangkok Thailand in the mid-60s and the Soviet Union had a booth, and a swarthy Soviet gentleman was there with a 5 o’clock shadow at 6:00 a.m., the Soviets were in Asia since the 50s, and still are.
A leopard cannot change its spots...
If you recall after we departed Vietnam the Chinese drployed troops down to Cambodia and the Vietnamese Army (which was battle hardened and very experienced) kicked the Chinese out of Cambodia in short order.
Who said that China want Russia to stop cooperation with Vietnam?
Yes, I’m sure China is okay with Russia arming Vietnam.
Its US government propaganda from Voice of America.
Lolz. And those Chinese ships often patrolling Russian-operated gas fields in Vietnamese territorial water are just there to emphasize their approval.
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