For a time, the Vietnamese press were able to extensively cover anti-China protests that broke out in May 2014 after China moved an oil rig into disputed waters in the South China Sea. However, as the protests became more violent and threatened to target Hanoi, the government cracked down and reporting decreased. Vietnamese press also failed to report that the protests not only aired grievances against China but also, in some instances, condemned harsh labor conditions and the lack of regulation in Vietnamese factories. Later in the year, some Vietnamese news outlets freely reported on anti-China, prodemocracy protests in Hong Kong. Officials from the Chinese embassy in Hanoi reportedly called Vietnamese publications on more than one occasion to complain about coverage of Beijing.