A Vietnamese Foreign Ministry statement has accused China of violating Vietnam’s sovereignty in the waters of the South China Sea. The statement said a Chinese oil company recently opened bidding for oil exploration near the Paracel islands, which are claimed by Vietnam but have been occupied by China since 1974. The statement also accuses China of conducting live fire exercises, and demanded that China respect Vietnam’s sovereignty. The rivalry between the two countries dates back many centuries. In 1979 the two states fought a brief, but bloody war over control of Kampuchea.