Beijing has quietly confirmed the deaths of two Chinese sailors in a collision in the contested South China Sea, according to government statements nearly a year after the incident.
In August last year, a China Coast Guard ship collided bow first with a Chinese naval destroyer while chasing a Philippine patrol boat near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島), video footage released by Manila showed.
A China Coast Guard spokesperson confirmed at the time that there had been a confrontation, but did not mention the collision, nor injuries or deaths.
Photo: Philippine Coast Guard via Reuters
The Chinese People’s Armed Police Force said on social media on Wednesday it had awarded four “martyrs” — including Coast Guard sailors Yi Xinyu (衣昕玉) and Cheng Long (程龍) — a special title for “steadfast political convictions, exemplary deeds and outstanding achievements.”
Yi and Cheng died on Aug. 11 — the date of last year’s collision — in a “rights defense operation,” according to their profiles on the government’s “China Martyrs Network.”
“Yi sacrificed his life ... while participating in a frontline rights defense operation in the South China Sea,” the Web site says.
Cheng “heroically sacrificed his life during a maritime rights defense operation”, the Web site reads.
It is not clear when the sailors were given the designation of “martyr”, which awards their families special housing and medical support among other aid.
Yi was 21 years old at the time of his death, and Cheng was 25, according to their profiles on the Web site.
The accident was the first known collision between Chinese vessels in the area amid protracted tensions over disputed features straddling the vital trade route.
At the time, Beijing accused the Philippines of “dangerous maneuvers” without referring directly to the collision, but the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said it bore no responsibility for the accident, which it described as an “unfortunate outcome.”
Reuters reported on Aug. 27 that satellite images showed the coast guard vessel was under repair at Hainan Island.
Territorial disputes have seen China and the Philippines clash repeatedly in the South China Sea, almost all of which Beijing claims as its territory. Filipino and Chinese sailors clashed again in the disputed waters last month in what was their first serious encounter in months and saw both sides summon each other’s ambassadors.
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