Chinese patrol ships seized a Vietnamese fishing boat off Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago April 14 in the waters, the second such seizure this year.
Interestingly, it occurred just two days before China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Vietnam is a member, held a meeting on the conduct of regional nations at sea.
The fishing boat, owned by Mai Phung Luu of Ly Son District, the central province of Quang Ngai, was captured along with 10 crew members on board, district chairman Vo Xuan Huyen said Sunday.
The fishermen called home to say the Chinese were demanding a ransom of US$9,200 for their release, he added.
China and ASEAN met April 16-17 in Hanoi to discuss implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).
The DOC, which is not a legal covenant, was issued in 2002 on environmental protection, marine scientific research, safety of navigation and communications at sea, search and rescue operations, and anti-transnational crime.
For several decades now, China and some ASEAN members like Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, and Vietnam have all claimed sovereignty over islands in the East Sea.
Last month China had seized a fishing boat with 12 men on board and demanded a US$9,200 ransom. None of the fishermen have been freed so far, according to the province coast guard.
Last year the Chinese seized 17 fishing boats and 210 fishermen but has released all the fishermen and 13 of the boats.
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