The Chinese Embassy in Vietnam reminded Chinese citizens about their safety after a series of demonstrations on Sunday in the country.
The demonstrations were staged in several cities, including Hanoi, Danang, Nha Trang City and Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam police have been closely monitoring the situation to maintain security, according to a notice released by the Chinese Embassy on Sunday.
The demonstrators were protesting against a recent draft plan for three new special economic zones in Van Don in Quang Ninh province, Bac Van Phong in Khanh Hoa province and Phu Quoc in Kien Giang province, the notice said.
The three new economic zones are aimed at giving greater incentives and less restriction to investors and would allow up to 99-year leases in some cases, reported the South China Morning Post.
Though not explicitly mentioning any country, protesters feared the bill would benefit Chinese investors, the report added.?
The proposed zone in Quang Ninh province is of particular concern since it is "not far" from China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the report said, citing Le Dang Doanh, a retired senior economic adviser to the Vietnam government.?
The draft law which was planned to be approved in June has been prolonged "to have more time for further research and completion," according to a notice released by Vietnam government on Saturday.
Vietnam police detained more than a dozen protesters in Hanoi on Sunday, the South China Morning Post reported.?
China is Vietnam's biggest trade partner. China's investment to Vietnam reached $15 billion by the end of 2017. Bilateral trade breached the $100 billion mark for the first time in 2017, Xinhua News Agency reported.
