On July 3, Chinese survey ship Haiyang Dizhi 8 (HD8), escorted by the China Coast Guard and maritime militia, began surveying a large swath of seabed northeast of Vanguard Bank.
- Trinh Le
- The Diplomat
The area sat within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf. Hanoi responded by sending its own coastguard and fisheries surveillance ships, creating a month-long standoff between the…
At the climax of the…