China honors two coast guard personnel following South China Sea collision

China has posthumously honored two coast guard personnel, Yi Xinyu and Cheng Long, who died during a vessel collision in the South China Sea on August 11 of last year. The two men, aged 21 and 25, are listed as martyrs on an official registry and were awarded the Loyal Guards of the Chinese People’s Armed Police honor and first class merit citations. The incident occurred during operations near the disputed Scarborough Shoal. While Beijing had not previously acknowledged the fatalities, the People’s Armed Police announced the honors on Thursday.

Reports differ on the nature of the collision. A center left source states that a Chinese coast guard ship collided bow first with a Chinese naval destroyer while maneuvering against Philippines coast guard operations. Conversely, a center right source describes the event as a crash during a Philippine ship chase. At the time of the incident, the Philippines foreign ministry stated it bore no responsibility for the accident, while Beijing accused the Philippines of dangerous maneuvers. Satellite images later showed the coast guard vessel undergoing repairs at Hainan Island.