Tensions rise as Chinese ships enter Vietnam's exclusive economic zone near Russian gas block.

China has deployed a research ship and five escort vessels to an area where a Russian state firm jointly operates a gas block with Vietnam in the South China Sea, disregarding Vietnam's exclusive economic zone. This is the latest escalatory step by China in the region, after it first sent in the research vessel earlier this month. China has attempted to lay sovereign claim over the entire South China Sea, recently increasing its aggressive posture against neighboring nations with jurisdictional rights in the vast body of water like the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Vietnam.