Vietnam shows video of Chinese ship ramming boat

Vietnamese vessel INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

HANOI — Vietnam has shown video footage showing a Chinese coast guard vessel steaming into the back of a Vietnamese fishing boat and tipping it over.

The video released to the media Thursday appears to confirm Vietnam’s version of the incident in the South China Sea on May 26.

The incident was the most serious between ships from the two countries since Beijing dispatched an oil rig to a disputed section of the sea on May 1.

China has said that the much smaller Vietnamese fishing vessel rammed into its ship. Vietnam reacted furiously, and sent ships to the region to confront the rig.

China insists it has done nothing wrong and is refusing to withdraw the rig.

The tensions are the most serious in years in the oil- and gas-rich waters.