'China used force in island dispute'

Vietnam's Prime Minister says China used force to occupy the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.

Vietnam's Prime Minister says China used force to occupy the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's comments on Friday mark the first time a top Vietnamese official said publicly that China had occupied the islands by force.

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Dung said that in 1956, China sent troops to occupy parts of the Paracels. He said that in 1974, China used force to occupy all of islands, previously managed by China and South Vietnam.