China has moved the oil rig that triggered a dispute with Vietnam when it was sent into the South China Sea.
Beijing started drilling with the rig in early May close to the Paracel Islands, triggering a furious reaction in Hanoi and the most serious rise in tensions in the waters in years, including protests and deadly anti-Chinese riots in Vietnam.
Hanoi sent ships to the region to try and disrupt the operations, with collisions and exchanges of water cannon ensuing.
China's official Xinhua News Agency said on Wednesday that the China National Petroleum Corp had announced the end of the operation, citing the beginning of the typhoon season. It said the rig would be relocated to operations close to China's Hainan Island. The Xinhua report said the company found oil and gas during the operation but was assessing the data gathered before deciding its next move.
Ha Le, deputy director of Vietnam's fisheries resources surveillance department, said China began removing the rig and escorting vessels on Tuesday night, and by 8am Wednesday it was 40 nautical miles north-west of its original location and still moving away.
Le said 30 vessels from Vietnam's coast guard and fisheries patrol that were sent to try to force the rig away would return to port to avoid an approaching typhoon.
The US had criticised the rig placement "as part of a broader pattern of Chinese behaviour to advance its claims over disputed territory in a manner that undermines peace and stability in the region".
