MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines’ top diplomat said Thursday he has filed a diplomatic protest after an anchored fishing boat was hit by a suspected Chinese vessel which then abandoned the 22 Filipino fishermen as the boat sank in the disputed South China Sea. China condemned the incident but did not immediately confirm or deny that a Chinese vessel was involved. Lorenzana strongly condemned the crew of the vessel, which he said was identified by the Filipinos as Chinese, for abandoning the fishermen while their boat sank. In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the incident “should be condemned” wherever the vessel came from. Citing information provided by the Philippines, Geng described the sinking as “an ordinary maritime traffic accident” and criticized assumptions made about it.

Source: thestar June 13, 2019 11:48 UTC