S. Korea, China to compromise on boat row
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Seoul and Beijing have agreed to "calmly" settle a diplomatic row over the sinking of a Chinese fishing boat to prevent the fraying of bilateral ties, AFP reported Thursday.
A Chinese trawler capsized in South Korean waters in the Yellow Sea on Saturday after ramming a South Korean coast guard vessel, leaving a Chinese sailor dead and another missing.
Three others were questioned by the South Korean authorities, reports said.
The two nations then clashed over the issue as China demanded compensation for its loss and punishment for the coast guards involved, but South Korea blamed China for illegal fishing.
However, the two countries ultimately reached a consensus Thursday to deal with the issue diplomatically.
"Both governments share the stance that the situation should be managed calmly and quickly with appropriate and fair measures," AFP quoted Seoul's spokesman Kim Young-sun as saying.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a press conference Thursday that "We see that South Korea repeatedly expressed its regrets about the clash and proposed to resolve the problem through consultations."
"We are now maintaining close communications with Seoul, and we expect a solution to the problem as early as possible," she added.
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