The sinking of a Filipino fishing boat by a suspected Chinese trawler in disputed waters was described by Beijing yesterday as an ordinary maritime accident. The Philippine defense department said on Wednesday a suspected Chinese boat had collided with a Filipino fishing boat anchored near Recto (Reed) Bank in the South China Sea, causing it to sink and leaving 22 crewmen to their fate. President Duterte’s office said the abandonment of the Filipino crew was “barbaric,” while Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana condemned the Chinese trawler’s “cowardly action.”

China: An ordinary maritime accident. (2019, June 14). The Philippine Star, p. 8.