830 Chapter 6
Coding changes: Start Date changed from October 1986.
MID#2780
Dispute Number: 2780
Date(s): April 15, 1987 to June 6, 1987
Participants: 710 China/816 Vietnam
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (None)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: On April 15, 1987, China accused Vietnam of invading the disputed
Bojiano Island in the South China Sea. China stated that Vietnam had violated China’s
territorial integrity and warned that China had the right to take the islands back at the
right time. On June 5, China also condemned Vietnamese aggression along the Thai-
Kampuchean border and expressed full support for Thailand.
MID#3638
Dispute Number: 3638
Date(s): October 5, 1987
Participants: 816 Vietnam/710 China
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (None)
Fatalities: 1–25 deaths
Narrative: China’s air force shot down a Vietnamese MiG-21 after it had intruded
into Chinese airspace.
MID#2749
Dispute Number: 2749
Date(s): January 31, 1988 to March 14, 1988
Participants: 710 China/816 Vietnam
Outcome (and Settlement): Victory for side A (Imposed)
Fatalities: 26–100 deaths
Narrative: This dispute describes another Chinese-Vietnamese conflict over the
Spratly Islands, occurring in 1988. Tensions over the issue erupted in light of accu-
sations by China that Vietnam had unlawfully set military personnel on one of the
islands (Boijao) on April 15, 1987. In early 1988, Vietnam announced that China had
sent a fleet of warships to Vietnamese waters around the islands. China retorted that
they were carrying out normal activity. Vietnam demanded total withdrawal on Febru-
ary 26, but China refused. Clashes were reported to have ensued on March 14. Both
sides accused each other for causing the clash, though it is apparent that Vietnam got
the worst of it. The dispute ends on March 1 when Vietnam learned of their losses in
the skirmish. On March 17 and 23, the Vietnamese tried to get China to the negotiat-
ing table. China refused both requests claiming complete sovereignty over the islands.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from February 20, 1988. End Date changed
from March 16, 1988. Fatalities changed from Missing.