尽管美国官员强调与越南的军事交流周已经计划了数月，此举却可能在南中国海争端使关系业已紧张之际，进一步加剧与中国的紧张关系。南中国海可能蕴含丰富的石油资源，越南、菲律宾、台湾、文莱、马来西亚和中国都宣称在这一地区拥有主权，他们的领土主张彼此存在冲突。菲律宾最近一直抱怨中国对其石油勘探船进行威胁，上周对中国说，菲律宾计划在联合国法庭上提出南中国海争端问题，中国对这一提议立即表示了反对翻译服务。

Vietnam, which accused China of interfering with one of its oil-exploration boats in June, has allowed anti-China protests in recent weeks, including a march on Sunday, the Associated Press reported. Demonstrations are rare in Vietnam, and are typically quashed quickly by police. Sunday's march by a few protesters shouting 'Down with China,' and carrying signs in carrying signs in English, Chinese and Vietnamese─one reading, 'China stop invading Vietnam. Stop murdering Vietnamese fishermen'─was limited, according to the AP. The police first rounded up a couple of dozen protesters and took them off in buses, then herded those who remained away from an area near the Chinese Embassy. Some of the marchers were later detained.

越南指责中国今年6月干预其一艘石油勘探船的活动。该国近几周任由公众举行反华抗议活动。据美联社报导，越南周日举行了一次游行。越南很少发生示威活动，而且警方通常会很快进行镇压。据美联社报导，周日的游行规模有限，为数不多的抗议者高呼“打倒中国”的口号，并高举英、中和越南文标语，其中一个写道，“中国停止侵略越南，停止杀害越南渔民”。警方先是将数十名抗议者围起来，并用大巴车把他们运走，然后把那些留下来的抗议者从中国大使馆附近地区驱散。一些抗议者后来被拘广州翻译公司。

Gen. Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, said Monday the timing of U.S. naval exercises with Vietnam and also recently with the Philippines was 'inappropriate' in light of the South China Sea issues.