(VOVworld) – China’s illegal placement of oil rig Haiyang 981 in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf has escalated regional tensions, said Rivislei Gonzalez Saez, an expert from Cuba’s International Policy Research Institute.

China has also provoked maritime conflicts with the Philippines and unilaterally established an air defense indentification zone in the East China Sea which caused serious concerns for South Korea and Japan. In his recent article, Saez underlined China’s insistence on resolving tensions peacefully while its acts ran counter to its statements, which worried relevant parties and the US. Neighboring countries strongly protested against China’s actions which created regional tensions and destablization. The expert added that what China had done to Vietnam was wrong and ignored the benefits to Beljing.