Beijing rejects Hanoi's fishing boat allegation

China urged Vietnam on Thursday to halt its unilateral oil and gas development in waters with overlapping sovereignty claims and to stop harassing Chinese vessels there to ensure that the ongoing maritime border talks can bear fruit.

Beijing also refuted allegations Hanoi made against Chinese fishing boats and said their dispersion by Vietnamese warships in the disputed waters was groundless.

According to Vietnam News, PetroVietnam's geological survey vessel, the Binh Minh 2, was operating in Vietnamese territorial waters on Nov 31 when it was approached by a number of Chinese fishing vessels that cut its exploration cables, Xinhua reported.