BEIJING, Aug. 7 -- Beijing has quietly confirmed that two Chinese sailors died in a collision in the disputed South China Sea nearly a year after the incident.

Last August, a Chinese navy vessel collided with a Chinese coast guard ship while pursuing a Philippine patrol boat near a disputed shoal, according to video footage released by Manila.

At the time, the Chinese Coast Guard acknowledged a confrontation but made no mention of the collision or any casualties.

The People's Armed Police Force said on social media on Wednesday that it had posthumously honoured four "martyrs", including coast guard sailors Yi Xinyu and Cheng Long, for their role in a "rights defense operation".

Profiles on the government-run China Martyrs Network said...