Official media reports in Vietnam have used harsh words to attack Chinese analysts who reportedly said Beijing has “historic sovereignty” in disputed waters of the South China Sea.

The controversial comments were made at an international conference on the South China Sea, which concluded Tuesday in Vietnam’s southern coastal city of Vung Tau.

“Chinese scholar distorts the South China Sea situation,” read the headline in Tuoi Tre, one of Vietnam’s most respected dailies.

Thanh Nien, another popular newspaper, said Chinese scholars “voiced China’s official lines to defend Beijing’s illegal activities.”

The two-day annual conference comes at a time when nationalist sentiment is still running high over Beijing’s assertive moves to claim virtually the entire South China Sea.

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