ISTANBUL

Vietnam protested Wednesday against the “suppression, injuring, and seizure of property” of its fishermen by Chinese law enforcement agencies in the disputed South China Sea.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang said Hanoi is “extremely concerned about, discontented with, and resolutely opposes” “brutal treatment” by Beijing’s agencies, according to a statement.

Hanoi was reacting to an incident Sunday when Vietnamese vessel QNg 95739 TS from central Quang Ngai province operated in disputed waters of the South China Sea, around the Hoang Sa archipelago, also known as Parcel Islands by China.

At least four of the vessel’s 10-member crew were hospitalized following the incident.

Vietnam and China are single-party-ruled Communist nations that lay claim on the waters as well as the islands.

Pham said the actions by China “seriously violated Vietnam's sovereignty” on the Paracel archipelago, international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It “ran counter to the common perceptions of the two countries' high-ranking leaders about better control and management of disputes at sea,” she said.

Pham said the ministry has “sternly communicated” with the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi and demanded its northern neighbor “fully respect Vietnam's sovereignty over the Paracel archipelago, quickly investigate and announce results to the Vietnamese side, and not repeat similar acts.”