Chinese officials investigate the case of a tourist beaten in Vietnam. (Photo : Twitter)
The Chinese tourist, Mr. Xie, refused to pay bribes to the Vietnamese officials and then was beaten. The victim claimed that he was abused by eight uniformed men after refusing to pay a "tip" in the Vietnamese city of Mong Cai.
Mr. Xie, his fiancée, and his mother were in Vietnam for a vacation and wanted to take pictures before their wedding.
After the incident, China requested that the Vietnamese government apologize for the cruelty sustained by Mr. Xie.
A statement from the Chinese foreign affairs which said, "The Chinese embassy in Vietnam and the foreign ministry's consular affairs department have both made solemn representation to Vietnamese foreign ministry and its embassy in China, expressed serious concern about the incident and strong condemnation against violence by Vietnamese officials."
"The culprits should be punished severely. They should apologize to the victim and compensate for his losses," the statement said, adding that the ministry had requested the Vietnamese authorities to thoroughly investigate the incident and in a timely manner.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through its representative Geng Shuang, said that the consular affairs in China went to talk to the Vietnamese ambassador to "once more express our stern position."
He said, "China demands that Vietnam apologizes and pay compensation to the victim, severely handle those involved and take effective measures to ensure an incident does not happen again."
Geng also reported that eight Vietnamese officials were already suspended from their post.
A spokesperson from the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry said that they would "resolve the issue according to the nature of the event."
The Vietnamese government is fighting China's claims over the South China Sea. The dispute has led to numerous cases of mistreated Chinese tourists in Vietnam.
However, Chinese tourists continue to flock the former French colony. Last year, Chinese tourists account for 30 percent of total annual international visitors.
