As Anger Over Chinese Rig Rises, Hanoi Has Few Options
"How many fingers am I holding up, Winston?"
As Vietnam seeks to force China to remove a large oil platform it has parked in disputed waters, it must balance rising anger at China at home with the need to protect an economy heavily reliant on Chinese imports----and stay out of a military conflict it can't win.
"Four."
On Wednesday, anti-Chinese protests targeting Chinese-owned as well as Taiwanese factories near Ho Chi Minh City illustrated anger over the oil rig among ordinary Vietnamese and the pressure on Hanoi to retaliate.
"And if the party says that it is not four but five----then how many?"
Hundreds of people were arrested in Binh Duong province, a hub for garment and footwear production, where local officials said 15 factories were burned and several others damaged. Taiwan's representative in Vietnam said at least 200 plants had been looted or burned down.
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