In what many of you may have missed, there is a story of intrigue and a ship a long way from home. The ship is the Lu Yan Yuan Yu 010, a Chinese fishing vessel in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Argentina, a long way from China. What a ship was doing in the EEZ and why an Argentinian ship attacked and sunk it is a story we will probably never know completely. Right now, all we have is the story that Argentina tells: see http://www.prefecturanaval.gov.ar/web/es/html/noti_gacetillas.php?numero=05516 This video tells the story, repeated by CNN in more detail. http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/15/americas/argentina-chinese-fishing-vessel/index.html It still has the feeling of a story with a lot more to tell.
The Argentine government maintains that the ship was warned that it was in the EEZ and was not allowed to be there. It turned off its lights and came in the direction of the little coast guard ship that was observing it. This unarmed vessel was obviously a threat to this combat ship and the cutter opened fire. The ship sank and the crew was recovered, though it appears most of them were recovered by other Chinese fishing vessels in the area. Nobody is saying if the other fishing vessels left the area after that, but it would come as no surprise if they did.
We have to imagine that Argentina did not just happen to have its ship in that area, and has warned China before about fishing in its EEZ. The BBC says, "In 2012 Argentina captured two Chinese vessels it said had been fishing illegally for squid in its exclusive economic zone. Warning shots were fired."[http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35815444]
Maybe the Chinese decided they didn't want to be captured this time and thought the Argentines would do nothing more than talk. Apparently they were wrong. The Chinese have requested an investigation of the circumstances of the incident, but it is unlikely to end there.
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