AP reports that a South Korean cargo ship sank near Dalian after colliding with a Chinese freighter early this morning. Sixteen crew members are still missing.

Also today, Reuters reports that Japan agreed to extradite Yuan Tongshun, from Dalian, who is wanted for embezzling public funds. He used to run a state-owned enterprise here.

Longer excerpts of both stories are pasted below.

16 crew missing after ships collide

Chinese maritime authorities mobilized 22 boats and two helicopters for search and rescue operations, but no survivors or bodies have been found, said Yang Jong-ta, a South Korean coast guard official.

“Two life rafts were found but no one was aboard,” another coast guard official who identified himself only by his family name, Suh, told The Associated Press early Sunday after talking to Chinese maritime officials.

Sixteen crew were on board the 3,800-ton Golden Rose when it sank around 4 a.m. Saturday, about 40 miles southeast of Dalian, Suh said. They included one Indonesian, seven South Koreans and eight from Myanmar.

The crew of the Chinese ship — the 4,800-ton JinSheng — were unharmed and returned safely to Dalian, a coastal city in northeastern Liaoning province, where they reported the incident to Chinese authorities about seven hours after the collision, Yang said.

South Korea’s coast guard sent a telegram to Chinese maritime authorities demanding a thorough investigation into why there was a delay in reporting the accident, and proposing a joint rescue operation, Yang told the AP.

Chinese maritime authorities told South Korean coast guard officials that they dispatched a rescue team to the site immediately after learning of the accident, but rejected a call for a joint rescue operation.

The South Korean shipping company that manages the Golden Rose, Bukwang shipping Co., reported the accident to South Korea’s Coast Guard on Saturday afternoon, Suh said.

Chinese authorities blamed thick fog for the collision, he said.

Japan Extradites Fugitive from Dalian

Japan has extradited the former head of a Chinese state-owned enterprise wanted on corruption charges, a sign of cooperation that could lead to negotiations on an extradition treaty, Xinhua news agency reported yesterday.

Yuan Tongshun, former head of a state firm in the northeastern city of Dalian, was suspected of embezzling public money, the report said, without naming his firm or the amount.

In response to a request by the Chinese government, Japanese prosecutors detained Yuan in March and he was sent back to China after a decision from Japan’s high court.

Some countries do not extradite Chinese citizens back to China because of its use of the death penalty and concerns about a lack of due process in its legal system.

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