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After One Year, China Acknowledges Fatal South China Sea Collision

CCG
Chinese cutter CCG 3104 (right, with water cannon) was cut off by the Chinese warship Guilin (left), without harming the Philippine cutter Suluan (foreground) (PCG)

Published Aug 9, 2026 10:58 PM by The Maritime Executive

Chinese officials appear to have acknowledged that the collision between a PLA Navy warship and a China Coast Guard cutter near Scarborough Shoal last year resulted in two previously-unannounced fatalities. 

In a statement last week, the People's Armed Police Force - the parent institution of the China Coast Guard - said that it had recognized four servicemembers as "lieshi," or "martyrs." The honorary title is awarded to Chinese citizens who lose their lives in the furtherance of national interests, broadly conceived. 

In a brief statement, the department said that China Coast Guard servicemembers Yi Xinyu (21) and Cheng Long (25) had lost their lives on August 11, 2025, "while participating in a frontline rights defense operation in the South China Sea." "Rights defense" China's term for the pursuit of its ambitious maritime claims, including those located in the Philippine exclusive economic zone. 

The date in the notice corresponds with the date of the collision, and the casualty occurred during the process a CCG "safeguarding" activity. On that day, the cutter CCG 3104 was under way near Scarborough Shoal, pursuing and harassing the Philippine Coast Guard vessels Teresa Magbanua and Suluan as they escorted the supply ship Pamamalakaya. CCG 3104 had deployed its water cannon, and was approaching Suluan from astern. Meanwhile, the PLA Navy Type 052D destroyer Guilin (164) attempted to cut off Suluan by crossing at high speed from the Philippine cutter's starboard side. Suluan accelerated out of danger, but the move put Guilin's hull right in front of CCG 3104's bow. The Chinese cutter hit the Chinese destroyer, crumpling CCG 3104's bow in by about 30 feet and rendering it inoperable. The destroyer's hull was dented, but otherwise unharmed. 

At the time, China's government did not acknowledge the casualty. Observers of the South China Sea standoff quickly noticed the martyrdom announcement, however, and connected it to the only significant event on that date. 

"They ended up being the victims. The world knew what happened on that fateful day," commented Vice Adm. Alexander Lopez (Philippine Navy, ret'd), speaking to the Philippine Inquirer.