China has proposed a joint investigation with the Philippine government of the ship-ramming incident where a Chinese vessel hit and sank a Filipino fishing boat anchored near Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea to achieve a “mutually recognized results” as soon a possible. “To find a proper solution, we suggest a joint investigation at an early date so the two sides can exchange respective initial findings and properly handle the matter through friendly consultations based on mutually-recognized investigation results,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, in a statement released by the Chinese Embassy in Manila. The Chinese official maintained that it was an “accidental collision” and that Filipino and Chinese fishermen “have long been friendly to each other, rendering mutual assistance to the best of their capabilities in times of need.”

Requejo, R. E., & Ramos-Araneta, M. (2019, June 21). China broaches joint probe on boat ramming. Manila Standard, pp. A1, A2.