China enters waters off of Vietnam near Russian gas block in ‘worrying escalation’ [Video]

China on Friday once again disregarded Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and deployed a research ship along with five escort vessels to an area where a Russian state firm jointly operates a gas block with Hanoi in the energy rich South China Sea.

The move is Beijing’s latest escalatory step in the region after it first sent in the research vessel earlier this month along with at least one Chinese coast guard ship and nearly a dozen other vessels, Reuters reported.

TAKE THAT! PHILIPPINES SENDS CHINA MESSAGE ON CONTESTED ISLANDS AS TUSSLE BREWS

The research ship, Xiang Yang Hong 10, on Friday crossed a gas block known as 04-03 operated by Vietsovpetr, a joint venture between Russian-owned Zarubezhneft and PetroVietnam.

The news comes one day after Vietnam called on the Chinese vessel to …