China Says Boat Hit-and-run Was An Accident
"); jQuery("#212 h3").html("
"); });
2019-06-13 HKT 21:56
The sinking of a Filipino fishing boat by a suspected Chinese trawler in disputed waters was described by Beijing on Thursday as an ordinary maritime accident, after Manila accused the alleged Chinese crew of cowardice for fleeing the scene.
The Philippine defence department said on Wednesday a suspected Chinese boat had collided with a Filipino craft anchored near Reed Bank in the South China Sea, causing it to sink and leaving 22 crewmen to their fate.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's office said the abandonment of the Filipino crew was "barbaric", while Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana condemned the Chinese trawler's "cowardly action".
Neither Beijing nor Manila have officially confirmed the boat involved in the hit-and-run incident was Chinese-registered.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang on Thursday called the incident "an ordinary maritime traffic accident", and said China was still investigating.
He added, however: "If the relevant reports are true, regardless of the country from which the perpetrator came from, their behaviour should be condemned."
Geng said it was irresponsible for the Philippines to "politicise the incident without verification".
Although Duterte has largely set aside the bitter dispute with Beijing over the resource-rich South China Sea, Manila does sometimes protest against Chinese action.
In an angry statement issued on Thursday, Duterte's spokesman Salvador Panelo blasted the suspected Chinese trawler crew, saying "such act of desertion is as inhuman as it is barbaric".
"Regardless of the nature of the collision, whether it was accidental or intentional, common decency and the dictates of humanity require the immediate saving of the crew of the downed Philippine vessel," he said.
Panelo also thanked the crew of a Vietnamese fishing vessel in the vicinity which he said brought the Filipinos to safety.
Like the Philippines, Vietnam has partial claims over the South China Sea, where Beijing has staked "indisputable sovereignty" and built artificial islands with military facilities and airstrips.
Taiwan, as the Republic of China; Brunei and Malaysia also have claims in the area.
Reed Bank is about 150 kilometres off the Philippine island of Palawan. It is within Manila's 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone. (AFP)
Tycoon Sits China's University Exams For 27th Time
Among the millions of fresh-faced high schoolers sitting the nation's dreaded "gaokao" college entrance exam on Wednesda... Read more
China's First Home-grown Large Cruise Liner Undocks
The first large cruise liner developed by China completed its undocking in Shanghai on Tuesday, marking its complete tra... Read more
Chinese, US Diplomats Hold 'frank' Talks In Beijing
Meetings between senior mainland and US officials in China this week struck an upbeat chord, with both sides agreeing to... Read more
China's Cruise Industry Set To Make Waves Again
China's cruise industry, suspended for more than three years due to the pandemic, is expected to resume operations in th... Read more
Toll From Deadly Landslide Rises To 19
All 19 people caught in a landslide in Sichuan province on Sunday have been confirmed dead, state media reported, announ... Read more
'Nato-like Alliance Disastrous For Asia-Pacific'
Defence Minister Li Shangfu on Sunday told the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore that any moves to establ... Read more