China has confirmed the deaths of two sailors in a collision in the South China Sea, according to government statements nearly a year after the incident.
In August 2025, a Chinese navy vessel collided with one from its own coast guard while chasing a Philippine patrol boat near a disputed shoal.
A Chinese Coast Guard spokesperson confirmed at the time that there had been a confrontation, but did not mention the collision, nor injuries or deaths.
The People’s Armed Police Force said on social media Wednesday it had awarded four “martyrs” — including Coast Guard sailors Yi Xinyu and Cheng Long — a special title for “steadfast political convictions, exemplary deeds and outstanding achievements”.
Yi and Cheng both died on August 11, 2025 — the date of last year’s collision — in a “rights defense operation”, according to their profiles on the government’s “China Martyrs Network”.
“Yi sacrificed his life… while participating in a frontline rights defense operation in the South China Sea,” according to the website.
Cheng “heroically sacrificed his life during a maritime rights defense operation”, the website reads.
It is not clear when the sailors were given the designation of “martyr”, which awards their families special housing and medical support among other aid.
Yi was 21 years old at the time of his death, and Cheng was 25, according to their profiles on the website.
The incident had occurred near the contested Scarborough Shoal as the Philippine coast guard escorted boats distributing aid to fishermen in the area, spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela had said in a statement.
Video released by Manila showed a China Coast Guard ship and a much larger vessel bearing the number 164 on its hull colliding with a loud crash.
“The (China Coast Guard vessel) CCG 3104, which was chasing the (Filipino coast guard vessel) BRP Suluan at high speed, performed a risky maneuver from the (Philippine) vessel’s starboard quarter, leading to the impact with the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Navy warship,” Tarriela said.
“This resulted in substantial damage to the CCG vessel’s forecastle, rendering it unseaworthy,” he said.
The collision was another series of confrontations between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost entirely despite an international ruling that the assertion has no legal basis.
🚨🚨🚨🇨🇳#PLA Navy ship collision with #China Coast Guard ship while harassing 🇵🇭#Philippines mission at Scarborough Shoal! https://t.co/U1cB3cnGjZ
— Ray Powell (@GordianKnotRay) August 11, 2025
The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks — has been a flashpoint between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012.
Tarriela told AFP the Chinese crew “never responded” to the Filipino ship’s offer of assistance.
By Agence France-Presse
