Vietnam’s PM: China conflict threatens flow of goods, growth in region
MANILA, Philippines – Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung gave strong words on Thursday against the conflict brewing between China and other claimant nations in East and South China Sea.
“Our global goods are shipped via maritime transportation, of which two-thirds travel via the East (China) Sea. Any risk of conflict will disrupt this huge flow of goods and have unforeseeable impacts on regional and world economies,” he told more than 600 delegates of the World Economic Forum on East Asia.
“It might even reverse the trend of global economic recovery,” he warned.
Dung, in his bid to gather support against the conflict, emphasized that China’s actions have been “seriously threatening peace and security in the region.”
“The risk of instability is rising,” he said.
The Vietnamese Prime Minister narrated how tensions have risen between his country and China when on May 1 deployed an oil drilling rig, as well as 130 ships, within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone.
The Prime Minister’s visit coincides with widespread anti-China protests in Vietnam. Like the Philippines, Vietnam has been embroiled in a maritime dispute with China over claims of certain parts of South China Sea.
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