Vietnam Seen Preparing for War : China Warns Hanoi to Stop Invading Spratlys

China accused Vietnam on Tuesday of preparing for war in the disputed Spratly Islands, warning that Hanoi must stop immediately what it termed the “invasion and occupation” of the islands.

Since mid-March, when naval forces of the two countries clashed near the South China Sea islands, “the Vietnamese side has continued to seize and occupy Chinese islands and atolls under the pretext of undertaking rescue operations,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“Should the Vietnamese authorities act willfully and dare to make new military provocations, they must be responsible for all the consequences,” the statement said.

The Foreign Ministry also said China is holding nine Vietnamese soldiers “rescued” after the fighting March 14.

Since then, Vietnam has strengthened its naval presence in the islands, constructed military installations on some of them, invaded two more reefs and dispatched aircraft to “intensify its reconnaissance and war preparations,” the statement said.

It said the Vietnamese air force is reinforcing its deployment in southern Vietnam, adding that “the Vietnamese authorities have even made clamor, saying that they are fully prepared to take up battle at any time.”

Both sides contend that the other fired first last month. Vietnam has said that four of its sailors were killed and 24 were injured and that 74 others were listed as missing, after three Vietnamese ships were sunk. China has said that it incurred casualties, including a member of a Chinese survey team on a reef, but it has not made public any figures.

Vietnam has accused China of hindering rescue efforts, but China denies this. On Tuesday, China accused Vietnam of flying International Red Cross flags on naval vessels sent into the area.

“Vietnam has increased the number of its various types of vessels in those areas from a dozen or so before the clash to the current figure of 30 and more,” the Foreign Ministry said. “Vietnamese military personnel are now stepping up their construction of military installations on the Daxian, Liumen, Wumie, Nanhua and Dongjiao islands and reefs (that) they invaded and occupied earlier this year.”

The virtually uninhabited Spratly Islands, which China calls the Nansha Islands and Vietnam calls the Truong Sa archipelago, are strategically located along major Southeast Asian shipping lanes. The area is believed to contain underwater oil and gas deposits that would belong to whatever country should establish internationally recognized sovereignty over the islands.

Malaysia, Taiwan and the Philippines also have territorial claims to all or part of the chain, which consists of about 100 tiny islands, but only Vietnam and China are actively struggling to increase the number of islands under their control.