Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday insisted he is committed to the peaceful resolution of territorial disputes with its neighbors.  But at the same time he is warning other countries that strengthening military alliances against a third party will not benefit security.

Beijing ignited disputes over its claim to most of the South China Sea, despite it being located mostly past China’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone recognized by international law.  Hauling an oil-drilling rig south to an area off of Vietnam on 1 May just made things worse.

The location near the Paracel islands is well within Vietnam’s claimed exclusive economic zone, yet China is enforcing a 10-kilometer security perimeter around its rig.  Three navy ships carrying hundreds of troops and all sorts of heavy war gear are being deployed to defend the rig.

This all sparked nationalist rioting in and around Ho Chi Minh City that targeted Chinese businesses, but often struck any foreign-owned firms.  Four staff working for Metallurgical Corp of China Ltd were killed, and Beijing was forced to arrange the evacuation of thousands of Chinese from Vietnam.

China is also engaged in naval exercises with its own third party, Russia, in the East China Sea near a set of Islands claimed by both Beijing and Tokyo.