Hanoi - Vietnam's state-controlled media Monday denounced China's claim to sovereignty over the South China Sea, suggesting the government is taking a stronger tack on the territorial dispute.

The popular newspapers Tuoi Tre and Thanh Nien both ran two-page features calling China's maritime territory claims "an unacceptable demand" with no foundation in international law.

China claims over 80 per cent of the surface area of the South China Sea, including large sections disputed by Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan. The US also does not recognize China's claims, and in recent months Chinese ships have been involved in standoffs with US warships sailing in the area.

The newspaper articles ran just as US Senator Jim Webb arrived for a two-day visit to Vietnam. In July Webb, a Vietnam War veteran who has pushed for closer US-Vietnamese ties, chaired a Senate hearing on the South China Sea issue at which he said the US should "confront the obvious imbalance of power that China brings" to the dispute.

Vietnam and China generally enjoy close relations, but the conflict over maritime resources is a persistent source of tension. In recent months China has detained the crews of several Vietnamese fishing boats near the disputed Paracel Islands.

Vietnam submitted its maritime claims to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in early May, but China rejected the submissions on May 7. On May 8, China submitted its own claims, which Vietnam rejected the following day.

Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Brunei all claim part or all of the Spratly and Paracel Islands and the South China Sea waters around them. The area is believed to contain substantial undersea oil reserves. (dpa)