Beijing ‘strongly dissatisfied’ after South Korean coastguard fires machine guns at Chinese trawlers

Initial machine gun bursts were fired into the air, but the crew were later ordered to fire on the bows of the Chinese boats that were sailing directly at the coastguard vessels

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A handout image taken and released by South Korea's Ministry of Public Safety and Security shows a South Korean coastguard vessel allegedly firing at a Chinese fishing trawler near the South's Yellow Sea border with North Korea. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:27pm, 2 Nov 2016Updated: 10:26pm, 2 Nov 2016

Beijing has issued a stern response to reports South Korean coastguard vessels have, for the first time, fired machine guns against Chinese boats illegally fishing in Korean waters.

There were no casualties reported from the incident on Tuesday, which was the first of its kind since the coastguard announced last month that it would pursue a “more aggressive” firearms policy with Chinese trawlers.

Disputes over illegal fishing have dogged relations between South Korea and China for years, and there have been numerous clashes between the coastguard and Chinese crew members.

Senior coastguard official Kim Jung-shik said the order to fire came during a stand-off with some 30 Chinese fishing boats illegally operating near the South’s Yellow Sea border with North Korea.

A Chinese fishing boat catches fires during an inspection by the South Korean coastguard in September. File photo: AP

Chinese boats banded together with ropes are chased by a South Korean coastguard helicopter and rubber boats in 2011. File photo: AFP

“They tried to ram our ships although we repeatedly warned them,” Kim told the Yonhap news agency.

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