China blames Vietnam, says will not cede inch of disputed territory

By Phil Stewart and David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top Chinese general on Thursday defended the deployment of an oil rig that has inflamed tensions in the disputed South China Sea and triggered deadly protests in Vietnam, blaming Hanoi and saying China cannot afford to \"lose an inch\" of territory. General Fang Fenghui also pointed blame at U.S. President Barack Obama's strategic \"pivot\" to Asia as Vietnam and China grapple with one of the worst breakdowns in relations since the neighbors fought a brief border war in 1979. Anti-China riots in Vietnam erupted after China's towing of an oil rig into waters claimed by both countries. Fang said some Asian nations had seized on Obama's vows to rebalance military and diplomatic assets to Asia as an opportunity to create trouble in the South and East China Seas.

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