"It's quite clear... who is conducting normal activity and who is disrupting it," the People's Liberation Army's chief of general staff said.

He also said some nations in the region had seized upon US President Barack Obama's so-called pivot to Asia to stir up trouble.

Gen Fang urged the US not to take sides in China's escalating dispute with Vietnam.

US Vice-President Joe Biden, however, expressed "serious concern" over the Chinese rig move.

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Analysis

Bill Hayton
Author
What we are witnessing in Vietnam is an inchoate sense of anger - partly against China but more urgently against bad employers. This is a nightmare scenario for the Communist Party of Vietnam.

It will be easy for protestors to paint it as betraying the national interest out in the South China Sea (by failing to stand up strongly enough to China) and weak at home for failing to ensure that foreign companies treat their workers fairly.

Add in a myriad of other personal and local grievances and a wrong move could stir up a perfect storm of anti-"system" protest.

Vietnam protests not just jingoism
"No nation should take provocative steps to advance claims over disputed areas in a manner that undermines peace and stability in the region," a statement from his office quoted him as telling Gen Fang.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi earlier condemned the violence in an urgent call with Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh, according to China's Xinhua news agency.

Mr Wang also called on Hanoi to take measures to ensure the safety of the lives and property of Chinese nationals and firms in Vietnam.

A delegation of Chinese officials has been sent to Vietnam for talks.

Reports suggest many Chinese workers have left, with hundreds crossing the border into Cambodia.

During Tuesday's protest, protesters appeared to have targeted businesses with Chinese characters in their signs, even if they were from places such as Taiwan.

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