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.
Water splashes onto a Philippine vessel, according to the Philippine Coast Guard, after a China Coast Guard ship fired a water cannon, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released on July 24, with the location given as the South China Sea.
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.”
