China asks South Korea to appropriately deal with detained fishermen

China said Friday it was in contact with South Korea to help 14 Chinese fishermen arrested there for poaching, pledging that it will take proper actions to require all Chinese fishermen to abide by law. Four South Korean coast guard officers sustained serious injuries as they tried to crack down on two Chinese fishing boats operating inside South Korea's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Yellow Sea on Monday, Seoul officials said. Fourteen Chinese fishermen were arrested, of whom two were injured, they said. On Tuesday, South Korea lodged a formal complaint with China. Hundreds of Chinese boats are seized every year for violating South Korean waters. "The ROK (South Korea) coast guard detained two Chinese fishing boats under the suspicion of irregularities," China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters during a press briefing. "We will follow closely the case, provide all necessary assistance to people involved in the case and require the ROK side to deal with this case appropriately," she said. South Korea and China have been in "close communication and coordination. We have reached the agreement that we should deal with relevant issues by bearing in mind the overall interests of bilateral relations," Hua said. "We will require Chinese fishermen to carry out fishing in accordance with law and we will work together with the ROK side based on mutual accommodation and mutual understanding to maintain fishery order in relevant waters," the spokeswoman said. The number of Chinese fishing boasts poaching in South Korean waters has increased significantly in recent years, prompting Seoul to ask Beijing to come up with tougher measures against them. A total of 467 Chinese boats were arrested by South Korean authorities last year for illegal fishing, official data showed.