…Vietnam, China urge restraint in disputes in S. China Sea***

Moscow has told Britain it must cut just over 50 more of its diplomatic and technical staff in Russia in a worsening standoff over the poisoning of a Russian former spy and his daughter in England, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

Separately, Moscow also demanded an official explanation for the search of a Russian passenger plane in London, saying it could reserve the right to act similarly against British airlines in Russia. Britain said the search was routine.

More than 100 Russian diplomats have been expelled by various countries, including 23 from Britain itself, to punish the Kremlin over the March 4 attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the historic English city of Salisbury.

London says Moscow was responsible for poisoning the Skripals in the first known use of a military-grade nerve agent on European soil since World War Two. Russia flatly denies that and has cast the allegations as part of an elaborate Western plot to sabotage East-West relations and isolate Moscow.

Russia had already retaliated in kind by ejecting 23 British diplomats. On Friday, the Foreign Ministry summoned British Ambassador Laurie Bristow and told him London had one month to further cut its diplomatic contingent in Russia to the same size as the Russian mission in Britain. It also expelled 59 diplomats from 23 other countries for backing Britain.

A spokeswoman for Britain`s Foreign Office called the Russian move regrettable, and said it was considering the implications of the measures. It did not say how many diplomatic staff in Russia would be affected, while the British Embassy in Moscow says it does not make staff numbers public.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Reuters the demand meant Britain would have to cut “a little over 50” more of its diplomatic and technical staff in Russia on top of the 23 diplomats who have already gone home.

“We asked for parity. The Brits have 50 diplomats more than the Russians,” Zakharova said on Saturday.

Asked if that meant London would now have to cut exactly 50 diplomatic and technical staff, she said: “A little over 50.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry later published a list of 14 questions its London embassy sent Britain`s Foreign Office about the case on Saturday. It included queries about why Russia had not been granted the right to provide the Skripals with consular assistance following the incident and about France`s role in the investigation.

Russia`s Ministry of Transport meanwhile demanded Britain explain why the Aeroflot passenger plane was searched at Heathrow airport on Friday, in what the Russian Embassy in London called a “blatant provocation”.

“After the search was over, the British officers refused to provide any written document that would specify the reasons for their actions, their legal foundation and their outcome,” the embassy said, concluding that the action was “connected with the hostile policy” of the British government towards Russia.

Meanwhile, Vietnam and China on Sunday called for restraint in resolving disputes in the South China Sea.

Speaking to reporters at a joint press briefing with his Chinese counterpart, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said the two countries should manage the disputes and not expand them.

“We propose that the two sides in the coming time should seriously implement the mutual understandings of leaders (of two countries) … well manage disputes, do not have activities that complicate and expand disputes, respect the legitimate rights and interests of each other in accordance with international laws,” Minh said.

For his part, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said “settling maritime disputes is very important for the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations.”

Wang said the two sides “should not carry out unilateral activities that would complicate the situation and should strengthen maritime cooperation to build a healthy environment in order to reach an ultimate agreement on resolving the sea dispute, which will effectively boost the bilateral practical cooperation.”

China’s top diplomat said the two countries’ current relations are on “very positive trend,” and he described the two neighboring countries as “good neighbors, good comrades, good friends and good partners.”

Wang’s visit comes a week after Vietnam reportedly halted a major oil drilling project in the South China Sea for the second time in a year, following pressure from China.

Vietnam and China, along with four others, claim all or parts of the South China Sea, which lies on one of the world’s busiest sea lanes and potentially sits on rich natural resources.

China’s recent increased militarization of its seven artificial islands in the South China Sea has angered some countries in the region.

Zee with additional report from ABC