Why China and Vietnam are shifting from confrontation to calm in South China Sea claims

Despite land reclamation efforts in the fiercely contested South China Sea, an unusual silence has fallen between Beijing and Hanoi over their rival claims.

Observers said this suggested both sides were prioritising pragmatism to keep tensions in check.

In March, months into reports suggesting continued Chinese dredging activities at Antelope Reef in the Paracel Islands, Hanoi broke its silence by lodging a protest with Beijing over what it called “illegal and invalid” foreign activities.

“Vietnam resolutely opposes such activities, makes representations and affirms its position on this matter,” Vietnamese foreign ministry spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang said in a statement on March 21.

Without mentioning Antelope Reef, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said the next day that the “construction” carried out in the Paracels was “aimed at improving the living conditions of the islands’ residents and serving local economic development”.

This approach appears consistent with how maritime disputes between the two have played out over the past few years.