The 300-metre-long Greek bulk carrier Anangel Courage crashed into a Chinese fishing boat just after Thursday August 11 2016, causing it to sink it in the disputed East China Sea, Japan Times reports.
The Japan coast guard helped rescue six of the Chinese crew members, however eight people are still missing.
Despite long and rising tensions between the two nations, Beijing extended its gratitude for Japan’s help in the situation.
The East China Sea, much like the South China Sea, is the subject of a territorial dispute as China declares its sovereignty over the sea itself and the islands within it, which is refuted by the Japanese authorities.
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Tensions in the East Asia region as a whole have been worsening in recent months.
China has refusing to acknowledge The Hague’s decision to refuse Chinese sovereignty over the South China Sea and continues to build on and militarise the islands.
North Korea has been testing weapons, claiming to have the reach to destroy foreign ports.
The disputed East China Sea has been overpopulated with vessels in recent days, due to both the fishing season and also as China and Japan assert their presence there.
PTI will update on the missing crew members as events unfold.
