Hanoi behind all the trouble

Vietnam has harmed its economy and global image by taking provocative actions against China and instigating racial riots

Anti-China protests in Vietnam turned deadly last week amid the Sino-Vietnamese maritime standoff over China's placement of an oil rig in waters south of Zhongjian Island of China's Xisha Islands in the South China Sea. Running out of control, the looters and arsonists not only targeted Chinese nationals and companies but also South Korean, Singaporean and other foreign-owned factories, inflicting damage to some 400 factories and forcing another 1,100 to shut down.

Vietnam, however, has shown the rest of the world how novel its crisis management is. When the anti-China protests spread, Hanoi mouthed its readiness to quell the riot on one hand but continued to use politics to fan anti-China sentiments on the other. The spokesman for Vietnam's Foreign Ministry, Le Hai Binh, even argued at a press briefing that it was "legitimate and natural" for the protesters to manifest patriotism and determination to protect national sovereignty, following the killing of Chinese nationals in the anti-China violence.