China has warned Vietnam to withdraw its ships from the disputed South China Sea, after vessels from the two sides collided in a confrontation.
Vietnam has accused China of massing 80 vessels, including navy ships, to back an operation to drill for oil off the disputed Paracel islands.
According to the BBC, it also released video footage to back its claim that Chinese ships had rammed Vietnamese vessels.
A foreign ministry official in Beijing said the Vietnamese patrol ships had collided deliberately, the report said.
He said the drilling operation was taking place in Chinese territory and Beijing had acted with the utmost restraint, it added.
