Protests in Vietnam over Chinese 'bullying' have continued to grow this week, after China declared a city, which Vietnam claims, it's newest municipality.
Protesters were seen marching through Hanoi brandishing posters which read, "China! Hands off Vietnam!" and "Shame on you, bastard neighbour", as frustration with Beijing's aggression grew.
The protests come as the state-backed China National Offshore Oil Corporation also sought bids for oil exploration in waters that Vietnam claim, and the arrest of Vietnamese fishermen near the disputed islands earlier this year.
Meanwhile the protestors themselves have reportedly also expressed anger at Vietnam's domestic situation, which Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch described as "the new Burma". With an increasing crackdown on dissidence, a local analyst commented,
Protesters were seen marching through Hanoi brandishing posters which read, "China! Hands off Vietnam!" and "Shame on you, bastard neighbour", as frustration with Beijing's aggression grew.
The protests come as the state-backed China National Offshore Oil Corporation also sought bids for oil exploration in waters that Vietnam claim, and the arrest of Vietnamese fishermen near the disputed islands earlier this year.
Meanwhile the protestors themselves have reportedly also expressed anger at Vietnam's domestic situation, which Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch described as "the new Burma". With an increasing crackdown on dissidence, a local analyst commented,
"Foreign direct investment is flowing into Burma and declining in Vietnam. The government knows it is losing credibility. Vietnam allowed its private sector to develop, but it did not reform its political system. It was a fatal mistake."Lawyer and human rights activist Le Quoc Qua also stated that,
"More people know more about their rights, so the more they fight for their rights, [the] more repression, more arrests... But an optimistic sign is that people are not afraid."See the report from The Guardian here.
