Chinese, Vietnamese coast guards conduct 30th Beibu Gulf joint patrol

Chinese and Vietnamese coast guards conducted their first joint patrol in the Beibu Gulf for 2026 from Wednesday to Friday, the 30th joint patrol of the two countries' maritime law enforcement agencies since 2006, the China Coast Guard (CCG) said Saturday.

The three-day joint patrol from April 22 to 24 was executed by China Coast Guard 4303 flotilla and Vietnam Coast Guard 8004 flotilla, during which the two countries' coast guard ships followed the designated plan and route, and patrolled from south to north along the maritime boundary line in the Beibu Gulf.

They inspected vessels of both countries in the waters, explained polices to fishermen, and logged 54 hours of patrol covering 255.5 nautical miles, and monitored five fishing ships with records.

The two sides also organized law-enforcement exchanges, shared professional experiences, and the joint operation achieved expected results.

"I wish the operation a complete success," said Luong Cao Khai, deputy commander and chief of staff of the Vietnam Coast Guard Region 1.

"I also wish a closer relationship between Vietnamese and Chinese coast guards," he said.

Chinese, Vietnamese coast guards conduct 30th Beibu Gulf joint patrol

The United States Central Command released a statement on Tuesday saying that a U.S. Army Apache helicopter gunship crashed near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, and that its two crew members had been rescued.

According to the statement, two crew members from a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache were rescued by American forces after their helicopter went down at 7:33 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters.

The soldiers were rescued within around two hours and are in stable condition.

An investigation into the cause of the crash is underway, although U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post that the helicopter had been shot down by Iran.

"I have just been informed ... that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz," Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday.

The two pilots onboard the helicopter were rescued and are "safe and uninjured," Trump said.

"Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack," he added.

U.S. military confirms helicopter crash near Strait of Hormuz, Trump vows to respond