China denies involvement as reports emerge of drone strike on Chinese-owned vessel

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Beijing: China denied on Tuesday that a Chinese commercial vessel was hit by a Russian drone during recent strikes in the Black Sea, dismissing the reports as ‘unverifie’ despite rising concerns over maritime safety in the Ukraine conflict zone.

The response comes after Ukrainian officials claimed that a Russian drone struck the Chinese-owned cargo ship KSL Deyang near Ukraine's Odesa region while it was on its way to a port to load iron ore. According to Ukrainian authorities, the vessel suffered minor damage and completed its route with no harm.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian drone strikes had hit many civilian vessels in the area, including ships with different foreign flags, and warned that the attacks posed a threat to international maritime lines.

However, Chinese authorities denied claims that Beijing or its assets were directly targeted or implicated, saying that they were confirming information with relevant parties and urged not speculating until a thorough investigation concluded.

Due to increased Russian attacks on Ukraine's Black Sea ports and new concerns about the security of commercial vessels in active conflict areas, the incident gained global attention.

Beijing and Moscow have not admitted that the Chinese ship was intentionally targeted. The strikes are part of larger Russian drone attacks on port infrastructure and civilian shipping activities in the area, according to Ukrainian officials.