China coordinates with U.S. in South China Sea in search for missing sailor

BEIJING -- The Chinese Ministry of National Defense on Thursday said that the Chinese navy had coordinated with the U.S. search for a missing U.S. sailor in the South China Sea.

The Chinese navy's Liuzhou frigate, which was conducting combat readiness duties in nearby waters, carried out operational coordination with the U.S. navy "in the spirit of humanitarianism" and in accordance with the code for unplanned encounters at sea, the ministry said in a statement.

The sailor fell into water when a U.S. warship was navigating 100 nautical miles southwest of Huangyan Island in the South China Sea recently, the statement said.