Argentina sinks Chinese fishing boat Lu Yan Yuan Yu 010

Argentina's coastguard says it has chased and sunk a Chinese vessel that was fishing illegally in Argentine waters on Monday. In a statement, the coastguard said one of its vessels had fired warning shots at the Lu Yan Yuan Yu 010 as it headed for international waters.

This image published on the coast guard website showed the confrontation between the two vessels

The coastguard said it had first tried to raise a response by radio. All 32 crew members were rescued, it said. China has expressed "serious concern" over the sinking.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a statement that Beijing "has made urgent representations" to Argentina, demanding a thorough investigation of the incident. Illegal fishing is a common problem in the region.


"On several occasions, the offending ship performed manoeuvres designed to force a collision with the coast guard, putting at risk not only its own crew but coast guard personnel, who were then ordered to shoot parts of the vessel," the coast guard statement said (in Spanish)

The incident comes despite Argentina's relations with China growing closer in recent years.