China on Thursday refused to accept the verdict on a Chinese skipper issued by a regional court of the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin made the remarks at a regular press briefing.

The ROK's Incheon District Court on Thursday issued a 30-year prison term and a fine of 20 million won ($17,738) to Cheng Dawei, a 43-year-old fishing boat skipper, for stabbing a ROK coast guard officer to death last December.

The stabbing occurred after ROK officers boarded the Chinese boat over suspicions of illegal fishing in the so-called Exclusive Economic Zone(EEZ) of the ROK in the Yellow Sea.

Liu said China has taken note of the ROK's verdict.

China and the ROK have not delimited the border of the EEZ in the Yellow Sea, and China cannot accept the ROK's unilateral application of the EEZ Law on the verdict of the Chinese skipper, he said.

Liu said China has maintained close communication with the ROK since the incident, urging the country to properly handle the case in a rational and just manner.

China will continue to closely monitor the evolution of the case and provide necessary assistance to the Chinese citizens involved in order to safeguard their legitimate and lawful rights, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 20, 2012)