China denies its coast guard ship ‘forcefully retrieved’ floating object in South China Sea
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson says object was debris from a rocket’s payload fairing
China has denied that one of its coast guard ships forcefully retrieved a piece of a rocket floating in the ocean that was being towed by a Philippine vessel in the South China Sea.
At a news conference on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said: “People from the Philippines side salvaged and towed the floating object first. After both sides had a friendly negotiation at the scene, the Philippines handed over the floating object to us.”
Ms Mao said that the object was debris from a rocket’s payload fairing, which is the protective casing around the nose-cone of a spacecraft - launched by China.
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