A China Coast Guard (CCG) spokesman announced that, out of humanitarian considerations, Chinese authorities on Tuesday morning permitted the transfer of injured personnel from a Philippine vessel that was illegally "grounded" at China's Ren'ai Jiao in the South China Sea.
Jiang Lue, spokesman for the CCG, said the transfer, under the monitoring of the Chinese side, was conducted via a small boat of a Philippine vessel.
The transfer came a day after Philippine personnel from the illegally grounded Philippine ship LT-57 carried out a malicious provocation, attacking a CCG patrol boat with oars, poles and other tools and injuring a CCG officer in his right arm. The CCG responded with maximum restraint, taking lawful measures to stabilize the situation.
The CCG will continue to carry out law-enforcement activities to safeguard China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests at Ren'ai Jiao and its surrounding waters in accordance with the law, the spokesman added.
China permits injured Philippine personnel transfer from illegally grounded vessel
China permits injured Philippine personnel transfer from illegally grounded vessel
The Japanese yen hit 163 against the U.S. dollar in New York on Tuesday, a level unseen since December 1986, as investors sought the greenback as a safe asset amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The yen's slide has driven up import costs from energy to food, hitting Japan's resource‑dependent economy and millions of households.
Analysts warn that renewed hostilities in the Middle East could disrupt vital energy shipping routes and send global oil prices surging. For Japan, which relies heavily on imported fossil fuels, higher crude costs would swell the trade deficit and prompt investors to sell yen for dollars in anticipation of a worsening current account balance. Meanwhile, domestic factors are adding to the yen's weakness. The wide interest rate gap between Japan and major Western economies remains a drag, while markets expect Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration to press ahead with its "proactive fiscal policy," easing budget discipline. Traders see that stance as a signal for further yen depreciation.
At its lowest in nearly four decades, the yen is fueling expectations of fresh intervention by Japan's government and central bank.
Japanese yen falls to 39-year low amid Middle East tensions
