Vietnam alleges that China fired on a Vietnamese fishing boat in the disputed South China Sea and burned down part of the vessel, a claim that China denies, Reuters reported. According to a statement posted on a Vietnamese government website, China violated international maritime law when its ships allegedly attacked the fishing trawler near the Paracel islands on March 20. A spokesman from China’s Foreign Ministry denied the claims and urged Vietnam to advise its fisherman about international boundaries. The spat is the latest in ongoing tensions between China, Vietnam, the Philippines and other nations with competing claims for parts of the South China Sea.
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