China on Thursday urged Vietnam to stop interfering into its legitimate operations, a move after Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said his government was considering various "defense options" against China, which also include legal action.

At a daily press briefing, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said, "What Vietnam needs to and should do now is to stop interference in all forms into Chinese operations, harshly punish criminals who committed violence, compensate the losses of Chinese people and companies, and ensure the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions in Vietnam."

Hong's comments came in response to a statement made by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. He said his government was considering various "defense options" against China, including legal action, following the deployment of a Chinese oil rig to waters in the South China Sea.

Dung's comments, given in a written response to questions from Reuters, were the first time he has suggested Vietnam would take legal measures, and drew an angry response from China.

"Vietnam is considering various defense options, including legal action in accordance with international law," Dung said in an e-mail sent late on Wednesday, while on a visit to Manila. He did not elaborate on the other options being considered.

Ei Sun Oh, a political analyst and former political secretary to Najib, prime minister of Malaysia, told the Global Times that diplomatic negotiations should be pursued first before legal action takes place.

"Usually, in the course of international disputes, legal actions are resorted to only as the ultimate peaceful option. In the present case, at this moment it does not appear that both sides have even initiated diplomatic negotiation over the latest disputes, so legal action may be premature at this point," Oh said.

In March, the Philippines submitted a case to an arbitration tribunal in The Hague, challenging China's claims to the South China Sea.

It was the first time Beijing has been subjected to international legal scrutiny over the waters.

Beijing has refused to participate in the case and warned Manila that its submission would seriously damage ties.

"If China participates in the arbitration [filed by Vietnam], its winning chance is quite high as some of the disputed territories are closer to China. If China refuses to take part, Vietnam wins by default," Oh said.

Central and southern Vietnamese provinces witnessed a spate of violent protests against foreign companies last week, which left at least four Chinese dead and more than 100 injured.

The protests, looting and arson attacks came after Vietnamese ships harassed operations of a Chinese oil company in the water near the Xisha Islands.
Newspaper headline: Comments in response to PM’s talk of legal action against China