China hopes ROK to rationally handle fishing boat issue

Chinese officials have responded to a report issued on Wednesday that a Chinese fishing vessel rammed a Republic of Korea (ROK) coastguard vessel, causing the latter to sink.

The collision is said to have happened off the west coast of ROK last Friday.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang says China hopes that ROK will handle the issue "rationally" and guarantee the safety, legal rights, and interests of the crew aboard the Chinese ship.

But citing the coordinates for the collision, provided by ROK, Geng has also called the ROK claims regarding the incident "ungrounded," “It is verified that the location is in the current fishing area maintained under the China and ROK Fishing Agreement. According to the agreement, the law enforcement activities of the ROK coast guard in this sea area have no legal ground. China has communicated with ROK on the issue through diplomatic channels, and asked ROK to deal with the issue calmly and rationally."

The latest statements from ROK have said the country will intensify punishment and even use force in the course of law enforcement.

Geng says such actions will not fundamentally solve the issue.

He also suggests ROK refrain from abusing its law enforcement powers or from taking excessive actions.

(CRI ONLINE)