China and Viet Nam exchange angry words and artillery fire
The Chinese government hereby issues a stern warning to the Vietnamese authorities to stop immediately their armed provocations, or China will reserve the right to fight back.
That menacing statement, issued by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qi Huaiyuan last week, was not a threat of out-and-out war. But neither was it idle propaganda. In a steadily escalating exchange of artillery fire across the Sino-Vietnamese border, China made it clear that it was prepared to retaliate against what it saw as Vietnamese provocation along the countries' common 800-mile border. More important, the cross-border...
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