The standoff between China and Vietnam over an oil rig under construction in the South China Sea has escalated to dangerous levels, the New York Times reports. A few days ago, CNOOC, the Chinese oil company, began establishing the oil rig just 120 nautical miles from Vietnam, in waters both Hanoi and Beijing claim. Vietnam protested and dispatched a naval flotilla to the area to make its message quite clear. According to Vietnamese officials, the Chinese ships then blasted it with water cannons, injuring the sailors, and rammed two coast guard vessels.