Beijing demands answers after Argentina’s coast guard sinks Chinese fishing trawler

Argentina’s coast guard has sunk a Chinese trawler that was fishing illegally within its territorial waters, the coast guard said on Tuesday, marking a first test for relations between President Mauricio Macri and Beijing.

China’s government said it expressed its serious concern to Argentina and called for an investigation.

The crew was rescued after jumping overboard. In a high seas chase, a coast guard vessel on Monday pursued the fishing vessel Lu Yan Yuan Yu 010 toward international waters, firing warning shots across the Chinese boat’s bow as it attempted to raise the crew by radio.

“On several occasions, the offending ship performed manoeuvres designed to force a collision with the coast guard, putting at risk not only its own crew but coast guard personnel, who were then ordered to shoot parts of the vessel,” the coast guard said in a statement.

It was not clear if the vessel sank on Monday or Tuesday.

Macri’s centre-right government, which took office in December, is likely be keen to avoid a diplomatic ruckus with the Asian powerhouse which has gained a strong foothold in South America, traditionally the United States’ back yard.

Relations between Argentina and China tightened under former leftist leader Cristina Fernandez. While Macri promised during last year’s presidential race to review all new contracts with China, he has shown no sign of doing so. Among those deals were an agreement to finance and build two nuclear power plants in Argentina in a deal worth up to US$15 billion.