Vietnam says Chinese survey ship left its exclusive economic zone

A Chinese survey ship embroiled in a tense month-long standoff with Vietnamese vessels has left Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, the Foreign Ministry in Hanoi said on Thursday.

Since early July, Vietnam says its ships have been tracking Chinese vessels in the zone.

“In the afternoon of August 7, the Haiyang Dizhi 8 survey vessel stopped its survey activities and left Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and southeastern continental shelf,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said. Vietnamese authorities will continue to monitor the location of Chinese vessels in the area, Hang added.

The impasse has fueled anti-China sentiment in Vietnam, where previous tensions between Beijing and Hanoi over the disputed waters have erupted into protests, Reuters reports.