(16 May 2014) Footage filmed on board a Vietnamese vessel in the Paracel Islands and released on Friday showed a Chinese coast guard ship ram the Vietnamese ship on Tuesday.
Chinese and Vietnamese ships have been locked in a standoff since early this month after Beijing deployed an oil rig near the disputed Islands which are claimed by Hanoi.
However, accusations of ship ramming have come from both sides. On Tuesday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Vietnamese ships had rammed Chinese vessels over 150 times since the standoff began.
Meanwhile, anti-China protests in Vietnam have turned violent, killing at least one Chinese worker at a Taiwanese steel mill.
Protests have also been held in the Philippines where more than 100 Filipinos and Vietnamese picketed the Chinese consulate in Manila.
China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, a busy sea lane and fishing ground atop what is believed to be rich oil and gas reserves.
China and ASEAN member states signed a non-binding 2002 declaration urging rival claimant countries to settle their disputes peacefully, refrain from occupying new islands or reefs and launching construction efforts that could raise tensions.
But accusations of repeated violations of the pact have sparked international calls for a legally binding "code of conduct" that could prevent a major armed conflict in the South China Sea.
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