The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines is shocked and saddened at the collision of a Philippine fishing boat with a Hong Kong-flagged cargo vessel at midnight of June 27, 2020. This is a tragic incident. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the missing crew members and passengers. We sincerely hope all of them could be rescued at the earliest.

The Embassy took note that relevant Philippine agencies are conducting investigation on the cause of the incident. We are ready to render any necessary assistance.

During this difficult time, our top priority should be given to the rescue of missing crew members and passengers. Pending the investigation, we hope all parties refrain from politicalizing the issue and seeking narrow interests from such a humanitarian tragedy.

The Embassy also noted that a few Philippine media reported again the fishing vessels collision that happened on June 10, 2019 in the South China Sea. China has been working closely with the Philippine side to solve the case. The concerned Chinese fishing association has already offered a compensation proposal to the Philippine side and has been waiting for formal feedback from the latter. In the spirit of cooperation and friendship, we believe the incident will be solved in a proper manner.