Chinese apology for Philippine fishing boat sinking lands as Rodrigo Duterte heads to Beijing
- Conciliatory gesture comes two months after collision in South China Sea left crew of 22 stranded
- Philippine president has been under pressure to take a tougher line during his visit
The owner of a Chinese ship involved in the sinking of a fishing boat in the contested South China Sea two months ago apologised to his Filipino counterpart on Wednesday, hours before Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was due to arrive in Beijing.
The apology letter was sent by a Chinese association on behalf of the shipowner – one of the association’s members – but the owner’s name was not identified in the portion released on Twitter by the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs.
“The shipowner of the Chinese fishing boat involved, through our association, would like to express his sincere apology to the Filipino fishermen,” the letter said, which also offered civil compensation for the losses suffered as a result of the sunken boat.
The Chinese vessel was alleged to have hit a Filipino fishing boat on June 9 at Recto Bank, a contested reef in the South China Sea west of the Philippines. The Chinese ship was also accused of leaving the area without helping the 22 Filipino crew, who were later rescued by a Vietnamese vessel.
The incident drew heavy criticism in the Philippines, putting pressure on Duterte to be more assertive against China during his five-day visit to Beijing – including by raising a 2016 arbitration ruling on the South China Sea which found in favour of the Philippines.