Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Japanese ships' rescue of Chinese ship's crew

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Hong Lei takes a question on the rescue of Chinese crewmembers from a burning ship:

Q: A Chinese cargo ship caught on fire in waters near Okinawa on the 20th, and Japan’s Coast Guard saved all 64 crew members. What comments does China have on this matter?

A: According to sources, after a Chinese cargo ship caught fire in waters near Okinawa on the 20th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs began closely tracking the matter, and China’s consulate in Fukuoka immediately initiated its emergency mechanism, assisting Japan in immediately taking measures to put out the fire and making all possible efforts to save the crew members and ensure their safety; it helped the company in question to take care of matters as quickly as possible and ensure the crew members could return home safely as soon as possible. On the morning of the 21st, the 64 crew members had all been saved. At present, the Chinese company in question is currently facilitating the return home for crew members. China’s consulate in Fukuoka will continue to coordinate the remaining matters.

Original Chinese:

问：一艘中国货船20日晚在冲绳附近海域起火，日本海上保安厅救出全部64名船员。中方对此有何评论？

答：获悉一艘中国货船20日晚在冲绳附近海域起火后，外交部高度重视，中国驻福冈总领馆立即启动应急机制，协调日方立即采取措施为船只灭火，尽全力搜救船员，保障船员安全，指导我有关公司尽快妥善处理有关事宜，确保船员早日安全回国。21日凌晨，64名船员全部安全获救。目前，中方有关公司正安排船只船员回国事宜。中国驻福冈总领馆将继续协助处理好后续事宜。

Comments

[Phil]

Predictably, Hong Lei did not express any gratitude to "relevant Japanese authorities" or anyone else in Japan for having saved the lives of the Chinese mariners on their burning ship in Japanese territorial waters. Instead of expressing even minimal thanks to the Japanese for this action, Hong Lei made it seem as if Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Consulate in Fukuoka were the ones chiefly responsible for the rescue. Hong Lei obviously didn't care about the way his ignoring of the rescue efforts of the Japanese involved would "hurt the feelings" of those Japanese rescuers as well as the Japanese "people" in general.