Two Chinese coast guard personnel marked as “martyrs” after South China Sea collision last year
Chinese authorities have marked the deaths of two Coast Guard personnel on a "frontline" mission in the South China Sea in August last year, the first apparent acknowledgement of fatalities in the high-profile collision between Chinese vessels.
Chinese authorities have officially recognized the deaths of two Coast Guard personnel in a South China Sea collision that occurred last August, marking a first in the ongoing territorial disputes. The incident involved a Chinese coast guard ship colliding with a Chinese naval destroyer while navigating around Scarborough Shoal, a site of intense contention between China and the Philippines.
Initially, neither Chinese officials nor the Philippines acknowledged the collision, with the latter's National Security Adviser stating the loss of two Chinese lives and one missing. However, China's Veterans Affairs Ministry has now added the names of the deceased to its commemorative site for "martyrs," specifically identifying them as coast guard personnel Yi Xinyu, 21, and Cheng Long, 25.
Cheng's family notes his death as "tragically, heroically," while Yi's is described as occurring during a frontline South China Sea operation. The Chinese Defense Ministry has not commented on the matter, and attempts to reach the Veterans Affairs Ministry for further information were unsuccessful. The accident marked the first known collision between Chinese vessels in the contested area, with Beijing attributing the incident to "dangerous maneuvers" by the Philippines, while Manila denied any responsibility, describing the outcome as unfortunate.
Satellite images later revealed that the coast guard vessel was undergoing repairs on Hainan Island.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
