A man repairs broken windows at the office of a Taiwan company attacked during riots in Vietnam's Binh Duong Province on June 20, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]?

BEIJING - China has welcomed Vietnam's decision to compensate the victims of the anti-China protests in May, a move aimed at removing a thorn that has hurt relations between the two countries for months.

Thousands of people attacked businesses and factories in Vietnam in May, targeting Chinese workers and Chinese-owned businesses after Beijing parked an oil rig in a part of the South China Sea claimed by Hanoi.

Fighting between Vietnamese and Chinese workers broke out in central Ha Tinh province, killing at least four people and wounding at least 100. About 4,000 Chinese workers subsequently left Vietnam.

In a statement on China's Foreign Ministry's website on Monday, spokesman Hong Lei said Vietnam has "expressed regret" for the riots in May that targeted Chinese workers and companies, and that it "was pained by the casualties and fatalities that were suffered by Chinese workers".

Hong cited Vietnam as saying that Chinese workers who were victims would receive "some form of humanitarian compensation", adding that Hanoi would send missions to China to express condolences to the representatives of the victims' families.

"China affirms the work and attitude by the Vietnamese side and hopes that Vietnam can earnestly implement the relevant measures," Hong said.

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