Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue briefed reporters Sunday on the incident that the patrol vessels of the Japanese Maritime Safety Agency chased and fired at an unidentified ship, which traded shots with the Japanese vessels and later sank in the East China Sea.
Zhang said that China has kept close watch on the incident. Local administrations have verified that the sunk boat is not a Chinese one and its sinking spot is some 260 kilometers off China's territorial sea.
She said that the Chinese side was concerned about Japan's employing military force in the waters of the East China Sea, and sorry for the dead and wounded in the incident.
At present, China is asking the Japanese side to provide further information about the incident.
(People's Daily December 24, 2001)
