Hanoi urged to fully compensate Chinese firms

To restore confidence in its emerging-market economy, Vietnam should fully and quickly compensate Chinese enterprises ravaged by anti-China riots in May, a leading expert on international affairs said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Hanoi made an initial payment of more than $7 million to compensate nearly 140 businesses, including Chinese-owned companies, that came under attack during anti-China riots last month, Voice of America reported.

The riots were sparked by a dispute between the two countries over the placement of an oil rig owned by China's largest offshore oil producer in the South China Sea. Beijing has repeatedly asserted that the rig is within China's territorial waters.