The Chinese embassy in Manila has expressed its gratitude to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) for the rescue of an ailing Chinese national aboard a foreign vessel in the waters off Basilan Strait.
"Sincere thanks to the PCG for extending timely assistance to a Chinese crew member," Guo Wei, deputy spokesman of the embassy, said Wednesday, Feb. 25.
Despite the many confrontations between the Chinese and Philippine sides both at sea and over the Internet, the relationship between the two countries apparently has not dwindled, particularly in providing assistance to each other's nationals.
In January, the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) rescued 17 Filipino seafarers whose cargo ship capsized and got stranded off Bajo de Masinloc.
This time, the PCG said it provided medical evacuation for an ailing Chinese national crew onboard MV Mount Gilboa in the vicinity waters off the Basilan Strait on Feb. 22.
The patient was successfully transferred to a PCG vessel and was examined by the PCG medical onboard before being properly turned over to the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) Zamboanga for proper quarantine and medical procedures.