China to help after cocklepickers disaster

China said today it would work with the British government to thwart illegal immigration and people-smuggling following the deaths of 19 Chinese cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay.

“The Chinese government attaches great importance to the incident,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said in Beijing.

“We are ready to work with the British side to jointly crack down on international criminal activities, like the illegal smuggling of people.”

Zhang said Chinese diplomatic staff in Britain were working “all out” to identify the dead, help the injured and find anyone still missing from Thursday’s mass drowning.

China will also work closely with British police, she added.