Two Chinese coast guard personnel marked as "martyrs" after South China Sea collision last year
China’s veterans’ affairs ministry honored Yi Xinyu and Cheng Long after the August collision, the first known clash between Chinese vessels in the area.
- China marked two Coast Guard personnel as "martyrs" on an official commemorative website on Thursday, providing the first acknowledgement of fatalities from a high-profile collision in the South China Sea last August.
- The August 11, 2025, collision involved a Chinese Coast Guard ship and a naval destroyer near Scarborough Shoal while they manoeuvred against Philippines operations supporting local fishermen at the disputed feature.
- Citations identify the deceased as Cheng Long, 25, and Yi Xinyu, 21, who died on a "frontline" mission. Cheng's record describes his death as "tragically, heroically."
- Beijing previously accused the Philippines of "dangerous manoeuvres," while Manila's foreign ministry denied responsibility, describing the collision as an "unfortunate outcome."
- The Chinese defense ministry did not respond to inquiries regarding the deaths. Satellite images from August 27 previously showed the coast guard vessel under repair at Hainan Island.
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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.
China calls 2 CCG personnel 'martyrs' after August 2025 collision while pursuing PH boat
At the time, Beijing accused the Philippines of "dangerous maneuvers." Video shows the two Chinese vessels bearing down on the BRP Suluan but then colliding into each other instead.
Two Chinese coast guard personnel marked as ‘martyrs’ after South China Sea collision last year
BEIJING, Aug 6 - 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. Read more at straitstimes.com.
This image, taken and released by the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) on December 4, 2024, shows a Chinese Coast Guard vessel (right) firing a water cannon at the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel BRP Datu Pagbuaya (left) near Scarborough Shoal, a disputed area in the South China Sea. (Handout/National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, NTF-WPS/AFP)
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