(Reuters) – China described Vietnam’s claim to disputed South China Sea islands as “ridiculous” on Monday, as tension rises over competing claims of sovereignty in waters believed to be rich in oil and natural gas.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, rejecting rival claims to parts of it from Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei in one of Asia’s most intractable disputes and a possible flashpoint. It also has a separate maritime dispute with Japan over islands in the East Sea.
The row with Vietnam intensified this month after China dispatched an oil rig to an area near the disputed Paracel islands.
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