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, marking the first apparent acknowledgement of fatalities from a high-profile South China Sea collision last August.
- A Chinese Coast Guard ship collided bow-first with a naval destroyer on August 11 near Scarborough Shoal while manoeuvring against Philippines operations supporting local fishermen at the disputed location.
- Citations identify the deceased as Cheng Long, 25, and Yi Xinyu, 21, who died on a "frontline" maritime rights protection mission. Cheng's record notes he died "tragically, heroically."
- Beijing accused the Philippines of "dangerous manoeuvres" at the time, while Manila's foreign ministry denied responsibility, describing the incident as an "unfortunate outcome."
- The Chinese defense ministry did not respond to Reuters inquiries regarding the deaths. Satellite images from August 27 previously showed the coast guard vessel under repair at Hainan Island.
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