China Misbehaves, Taiwan Suffers: The Vietnam Riots

Recent riots in Vietnam in response to a territorial dispute between Hanoi and Beijing highlight the risks to Taiwanese who may be mistaken for Chinese 

It was only a matter of time before things exploded in the region. And explode they did on Tuesday as thousands of rioters ransacked dozens of foreign-run factories in southern Vietnam in anger at the recent installation by China of an oil rig in waters claimed by Hanoi. Unfortunately for many Taiwanese, they fell victim to the violence. 

As many as fifteen factories were set ablaze and several more were vandalized by angry mobs as protests went out of control from Tuesday to Wednesday. In many cases, the protesters attacked factories they believed were operated by Chinese but were in fact run by Taiwanese or South Koreans, according to Vietnamese media. 

My article, published today on Thinking Taiwan, continues here.