Malaysia summons China ambassador over EEZ encroachment

 

The Foreign Ministry has summoned China's ambassador over the republic's encroachment into Malaysia's exclusive economic zone.

"The Foreign Ministry (yesterday) called in the ambassador of the People's Republic of China to convey Malaysia's position and protest against the presence and activities of Chinese vessels, including a survey vessel, in Malaysia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the coasts of Sabah and Sarawak.

"The presence and activities of these vessels are inconsistent with Malaysia's Exclusive Economic Zone Act 1984, as well as the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos)," Wisma Putra said in a statement late last night.

Wisma Putra stressed that it has previously also protested against encroachment into Malaysian waters by other foreign vessels.

It said that Malaysia's position and actions are based on international law, in defence of the country's sovereignty and sovereign rights in its own waters.

Wisma Putra also acknowledged the complexity of the issue with regard to the South China Sea, which Beijing claims in disregard of the EEZ.

A country's EEZ extends 200 nautical metres (370km) out to sea.

"In determining Malaysia's position and course of action with regard to the South China Sea issue, which is complex and involves inter-state relations, Malaysia's national interests will remain of paramount importance.

"Malaysia reiterates that all matters relating to the South China Sea must be resolved peacefully and constructively, in accordance with universally recognised principles of international law, including the 1982 Unclos," Wisma Putra said.

Continuous encroachment

This statement came a week after reports of the Chinese survey vessel Da Yang Hao (above) entering Malaysia's EEZ.

On Sept 26, Malaysiakini reported that the Chinese survey vessel was 138km away from the Sabah coast and had approached a ship commissioned by Petronas for oil exploration. 

A Vietnam analyst said that the ship was accompanied by two China Coast Guard ships.

Previously, China's military aircraft had also flown close to Malaysian airspace and did not respond to air traffic controllers in Kota Kinabalu, prompting the Royal Malaysian Air Force to scramble its jets. 

China has also maintained a near-constant presence at the Luconia Shoals located within Malaysia's EEZ off the coast of Sarawak. 

On Sept 27, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe held bilateral talks where the Malaysian side stressed the need to avoid military provocation in the South China Sea. 

Hishammuddin had said he wanted to seek Beijing's views after Australia, the US and the UK entered into a security pact. 

The pact will see technology transfer to Australia to help the country build nuclear submarines and other security arrangements, a move seen as an attempt to counter China's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

Malaysia has repeatedly protested against China's continuous encroachment, but to no avail. At the same time, Malaysia also does not want to see an arms race in the South China Sea. 

 - Mkini