South China Sea Conflict: Vietnamese Police Arrest Anti-China Protesters In Hanoi

Police in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi arrested several people Thursday who had gathered to mark the 43rd anniversary of the Chinese invasion of the disputed Paracel Islands in South China Sea, according to reports. The law enforcement officials also stopped the anti-China protests within minutes at the ceremony to commemorate the event.

Police took away banners and hauled at least a dozen of people in a bus. Protesters demanded Vietnam to take a tougher stance toward rival Beijing.

“I think Vietnam must be determined towards China... to get back Hoang Sa and Truong Sa Islands," activist Pham Van Troi told Agence France-Presse, using Vietnamese names for the Paracels and the nearby Spratly Islands.

Beijing seized the islands shortly after U.S.-backed Vietnamese soldiers pulled out in 1974.

China has laid claims to almost all of South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion worth of maritime trade passes every year. It has also reportedly been building runways and ports on islands in the contested waters to assert its claim over the region. Beijing has consistently defended its actions, saying it does not intend to start a conflict and that its operations will add to the safety of the region.

Apart from China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei also have claims over disputed territory in the region.