Three Chinese fishing boats are being held for ransom by North Korean captors, Chinese state media reported yesterday, an unusual ruffle in the relationship between the two Communist neighbours that highlights China’s growing conflicts at sea.
Twenty-nine fishermen were captured by unidentified North Koreans in Chinese waters on the morning of May 8, the state-run Global Times newspaper said, citing the captain of one of the boats.
The ships were seized in the middle of the Yellow Sea, about 100km off the west coast of North Korea and about the same distance from the east coast of China’s Shandong province. The identity of the captors and whether they were acting independently or on orders from Pyongyang is unclear, and North Korea has not issued any statements on the matter.