In Vietnam, about 100 people rallied in the capital, Hanoi on Sunday to protest China's recent actions in disputed regional waters. Demonstrators shouted that the islands of Spratly and Paracel belong to Vietnam, and they accused China of intending to invade Vietnam's territory. Public protests are rare in communist Vietnam, but authorities have permitted the anti-China protests for a fifth consecutive Sunday. The relations between the two Asian countries have been strained in recent weeks after Vietnam complained of aggressive behaviour by Chinese vessels in the waters inside Vietnam's exclusive economic zone. China has said, the potentially resource-rich Spratlys and Paracel islands and the surrounding waters are part of its territory. But the Philippines, Taiwan and Brunei also have territorial claims in the area.