Fishermen detained by Russia return to China

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia - Sixty-five Chinese fishermen detained off Russia's Far East region last month returned to China on Wednesday.

The Chinese fishermen arrived at Dongning port in China's northeastern Heilongjiang province in the early afternoon.

Two fishing boats from China's Shandong province with 36 on board were detained by Russian border control officers on July 15 and 16, respectively.

Two more fishing vessels, carrying 33 crew members, were detained by Russia some 10 days after the mid-July seizure.

All four captains of the Chinese vessels are still in Russia for investigation.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters late last month that the two countries' foreign ministries were negotiating in a practical and cooperative manner to ensure the detained fishermen's safety and legal rights and arrange their return to China as soon as possible.