(VOVworld) – India’s Merinews.com on Wednesday ran an analysis written by Vinod Anand - a senior expert from the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), criticizing the illegal placement by its oil rig Haiyang Shiyou - 981 in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone.Vinod Anand said that China's actions aimed to demonstrate its "military strength" in the region with the intention of forcing Vietnam to abandon or at least ease claims over the oil-rich region which lies within the jurisdiction of Vietnam under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Regarding the East Sea issue, Andrea Margeletti, Chairman of Italy’s Centre for International Studies, said that in the previous years disputes were limited to the diplomatic negotiating table and measures to increase economic dependence. Beijing now uses its increasingly enhanced military power to counter anyone who goes against them. This has resulted in tension not only with Vietnam but also other countries in the region. Margeletti said tension in the East Sea should be resolved through diplomatic means with the involvement of other parties.

Mr. Minghetti and Mr. Hernandez (in the middle) at a seminar on Vietnam (Photo: VNA)

Juan Carlos Minghetti, an academic from Argentina’s Social and Economic Research Center said China’s illegal deployment of the oil rig and military planes into Vietnam’s territory showed that Beijing wanted to settle conflicts through military power. He also expressed his hope that the dispute between Vietnam and China could be addressed through diplomatic means and dialogue. Eduardo R. Hernandez, a lecturer at the Hector P. Agosti Research and Training Center said China committed wrongs against Vietnam over the seas and island issue. He also called on the two sides to hold negotiations on the issue.