China on Tuesday demanded that South Korea pay compensation for the sinking of a Chinese fishing boat in which one man was killed and punish the coastguard ship involved in the incident.

The 63-tonne Chinese fishing boat capsized after ramming into a 3,000-tonne South Korean coastguard ship on Saturday, leaving one Chinese crew member dead and another missing, according to South Korean officials.

Eight other Chinese fishermen were rescued. Five of them were picked up by nearby Chinese boats, while three were detained by South Korean authorities.

"We express great concern over the incident and have made solemn representations to the South Korean side requiring it to make all-out efforts to search for the missing crew member," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said.

South Korea must "bring the perpetrators to justice, make compensation for the loss of our property and take concrete efforts to prevent such instances from reoccurring."

She dismissed press reports that the Chinese fishing boat had been sent by the government to monitor rising tensions on the Korean peninsula and in the Yellow Sea.

Jiang also said the incident "has no direct relation to the current situation on the peninsula", where tensions have been running high after last month's deadly shelling of a border island by North Korea.

A coastguard spokesman said the Chinese crew brandished iron pipes, clubs and shovels when two small boats from the 3,000-tonne South Korean ship approached their trawler, injuring four officers.

The BBC posted a video of the clash filmed by the coastguard, which appears to show the fishermen fending off the officers with metal bars.

The trawler then suddenly rammed into the coastguard ship and capsized, causing 10 Chinese sailors to fall into the sea, he said.

The fishing boat's 28-year-old captain slipped into a coma after the incident and died in hospital.

Illegal fishing by Chinese vessels is common in South Korean waters. The coastguard said 332 Chinese boats were caught last year.

In 2008, a South Korean officer drowned while trying to inspect a Chinese boat, and 10 officers have been injured this year.

earlier related report
China says Korean situation 'remains complicated'
Beijing (AFP) Dec 21, 2010 - China said Tuesday the situation on the Korean peninsula "remains complicated" and urged all parties involved to exercise restraint, after South Korea's live-fire drill on a flashpoint border island.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu also again called for "urgent" talks among the six nations involved in a stalled North Korean denuclearisation forum -- a call that so far has been received coolly in Washington, Seoul and Tokyo.

Pyongyang held fire after Seoul's military drill on Yeonpyeong island on Monday. The North shelled the island last month, killing four people including two civilians, and had threatened a response to any South Korean exercise.

"The situation remains complicated and sensitive," Jiang told reporters.

"We call on all relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint and adopt a responsible attitude to prevent the reoccurrence of such tragic incidents," she said.

"It is in the common interests of all parties to safeguard the peace and stability of the peninsula."

The North's military said Monday it "did not feel any need to retaliate against every despicable military provocation", easing fears of war between the two Koreas.

Beijing, North Korea's main ally, had earlier warned that any bloodshed on the Korean peninsula would be a "national tragedy" and upset regional stability.

China blocked efforts at the UN Security Council to agree a statement on the Korea crisis and Russia warned that the international community was now left without "a game plan" to counter escalating tensions.

Jiang said Tuesday that an emergency consultation of envoys to the six-nation talks was "urgent and necessary", reiterating a call made by Beijing shortly after the November 23 artillery attack on Yeonpyeong.

So far, the United States, Japan and South Korea have rejected that call, instead staging three-way talks in Washington earlier this month.

US troubleshooter Bill Richardson on Tuesday ended a mission to North Korea, during which he said officials pledged to allow UN nuclear inspectors back into the country.

When asked for a response to the apparent concessions Richardson won from Pyongyang, Jiang recalled that North Korea had previously committed in 2005 to allowing International Atomic Energy Agency personnel access to its facilities.

"We hope the relevant issue can be solved within the six-party talks," the spokeswoman said.