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The Chinese ship, also known as CCG 5204, was equipped with a front-mounted machine gun. The country’s coast guard claimed the weapon was only intended to be used as a defense against pirates, according to Phil Star News journalist Patrivia Viray.
Now authorities in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, are speaking out against what they see as an intrusion into its waters.
The ship, however, said it was patrolling within Chinese-owned territories.
Indonesian Ambassador Teuku Faizasyah said in a statement: “The Ministry re-emphasized to the Chinese representative that there is no overlap between Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone and China’s waters.”
The ship was ejected from the area on Monday after a heated discussion with Indonesian authorities over the radio, reports the South China Morning Post.
He was then escorted as Indonesian patrol boats followed him around noon.
Wisnu Pramandita, a spokesman for Indonesia’s maritime security agency Bakamla, told Asia this week that he “firmly rejected” Chinese claims that the ship had been operating within Chinese waters.
He added that the area is within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Indonesia.
It is unclear when the ship first entered the disputed area, although it was first seen on Saturday.
LEE: China punishes Australia with a serious warning about trade
However, their claims to the South China Sea date back hundreds of years before, although they are highly controversial.
In recent months, both Australia and the United States have firmly rejected China’s claims on the region.
The Australian government said in a statement in July: “Australia rejects China’s claim for ‘historical rights’ or ‘maritime rights and interests’ established in the ‘long historical course of practice’ in the South China Sea.
“The Tribunal in the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Award determined that these claims were inconsistent with UNICLOS [the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea] and, to the extent of that inconsistency, invalid “.
The Chinese government media outlet The Global Times responded by publishing an article together with Zhou Fangyin, a professor at the Guangdong Research Institute for International Strategies.
He attacked Australia for “following the example of the United States in taking on China” and “playing the South China Sea card.”
The article continues: “The relationship between China and Australia has now deteriorated to a very bad point, and the possibility of a turnaround is slim in the near future.
“One of the main reasons is that Australia’s policy lacks independence and its current choice is to closely follow the example of the United States.”
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