Vietnam leaders call on their government to get tough with China

61 prominent members of the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP), including legislators, ambassadors, generals, academics and business tycoons, have signed an unprecedented petition urging the government for change.

The document is said to demand an end to socialism in the country and a shift to democracy, but the main thrust appears to be nationalistic in nature: they want Hanoi to take a firmer stance against China.

“The more Vietnam steps back," they write, "the more China presses ahead.”

The petition, sent to the Central Committee, the highest authority within the VCP, also calls on the Premier to file a legal case against Beijing with the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea as the Philippines did earlier this year, although China refuses to defend itself or take part in proceedings.

They want the Vietnamese government to “come clean” about an alleged secret summit in which territory was ceded to Beijing.

Commentators have noted that the letter's public release is an unheard of move, and may embolden the country's pro-democracy activists.

VCP leaders have yet to respond to the letter.