HONG KONG – The United States said on Tuesday it was investigating the movement of a huge Chinese oil rig that Vietnam says has entered its waters, the latest show of Beijing’s growing assertiveness to raise alarm among smaller countries in the region.
The Vietnamese accusation came days after U.S. President Barack Obama visited Asia to underline his commitment to allies there, including Japan and the Philippines who are themselves locked in territorial disputes with China.
Obama, promoting a strategic “pivot” toward the Asia-Pacific region, also visited South Korea and Malaysia, but not China.
Vietnam condemned the operation of the deepwater drilling rig in what it says are its waters in the South China Sea, and told China’s state-run oil company to remove it.
“Vietnam cannot accept this, and resolutely protests this action by China,” the foreign ministry said on its website, summarizing comments by Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh, who spoke to his Chinese counterpart by telephone on Tuesday.
“We request China pulls out the … rig and all vessels from this area … Vietnam will take all suitable and necessary measures to protect our legitimate rights and interests.”