BEIJING, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- China confirmed Monday its close ally Sri Lanka released 37 of its fishermen detained the night before.
The fishermen were detained on their two trawlers Sunday by the Sri Lankan navy, which said they were in a zone off the country's east coast town of Batticaloa, where they were not allowed to engage in fishing.
A Chinese diplomatic official in Sri Lanka told China Daily the fishermen were not involved in illegal fishing, and that the detention was a misunderstanding.
The Chinese Embassy, which confirmed the release, told China Daily the fishermen are employed by two trawlers owned by a Sri Lankan shipping company. Chinese media said the embassy had earlier urged Sri Lankan authorities to handle the issue in accordance with the law.
"The fishermen were held on board and free to move around" during their detention, the diplomatic official told the newspaper. He said the Sri Lankan company had purchased the two trawlers from China, and that they might have been confused as Chinese vessels.
Earlier, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported a Sri Lankan navy spokesman said the Chinese were arrested for illegally fishing in Sri Lankan waters. The spokesman said two Sri Lankan crewmen also were arrested.
Marine exports are an important source of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka's Colombo Page said the quick release of the fishermen averted a potential conflict situation with its trusted ally.
China has been seeking to increase its influence in Sri Lanka, an island nation whose strategic location in the Indian Ocean is of importance to its main neighbor and ally India as well as the United States.
The incident with Sri Lanka is the latest in a string of similar episodes involving Chinese fishing vessels.
Last month, Russia detained 18 Chinese fishermen after their vessels were found fishing in Russia's far eastern Primorsky region.
The fishermen were later allowed to return home. Chinese media, which said the incident had challenged bilateral ties, reported Beijing and Moscow also agreed to establish a security cooperation mechanism on maritime law enforcement.
