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Malaysian maritime authorities said they had detained 60 Chinese nationals and six China-registered fishing boats in the highly contested South China Sea. Malaysia has reported a total of 89 intrusions by Chinese coastguards and navy ships between 2016 and 2019, amid mounting tensions over Beijing’s claims over most of the resource-rich area.
Malaysia’s Maritime Control Agency (MMEA) said the fishing vessels and crew were detained in an operation off the coast of the southern state of Johor on Friday.
Mohd Zulfadli Nayan, MMEA’s regional director, said in a statement: “Additional checks found that all ships registered in Qinhuangdao, China, were manned by six captains and 54 crew members who are Chinese citizens between 31 and 60 years old.”
The MMEA said the ships, which were unloaded when stopped, were believed to be on their way to Mauritania but had to stop due to a malfunction.
Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a daily press conference in Beijing that officials from the Chinese embassy in Malaysia visited the sailors and that the ships were in Malaysian waters when they were detained.
Speaking today, Mr. Lijan added: “On October 9 local time, six Chinese fishing boats were detained in Malaysian waters. This case is still under investigation.
“The Chinese Embassy in Malaysia has sent officials to visit the detained crew and offer them epidemic prevention supplies and necessary assistance.
“The Chinese side has asked the Malaysian side to carry out a fair investigation in accordance with the law, guarantee the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese citizens involved and keep us updated with the latest developments.”
Earlier this year, a Chinese research ship spent a month surveying Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone, amid a clash with a Malaysian oil exploration ship near disputed waters.
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The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force deployed three vessels, including a helicopter carrier and a submarine.
The purpose of the exercise was “to boost their tactical capabilities,” they said in a statement, without elaborating on the geographic location of the exercises.
The Chinese state-backed Global Times newspaper, highlighting the latest Japanese drills, said that frequent conduct of military activities in the South China Sea is not conducive to the area’s security and stability and that Beijing is firmly opposed.
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