THE Government and the Defence Ministry must take “stronger action” over China’s encroachment in the South China Sea especially in Sabah waters, said a Warisan MP.
According to Papar MP Ahmad Hassan, China’s latest J-20 fighter jets had been found conducting regular patrols and drills over the South China Sea since early April.
He further noted that the Royal Malaysian Navy had reported 23 cases of intrusion in 2021 alone.
“The threat to the nation’s sovereignty has affected economic activities. Since last year, China’s maritime enforcement agency has intruded in the Kasawari gas field in Malaysian waters, thus affecting Petronas’ works,” he said in a statement today.
“The continuous intimidation from around 300 Chinese maritime ships that patrol the South China Sea has also affected small-time fishermen from Sabah.
“Therefore, I urge for stronger action from the Federal Government to defend the nation’s sovereignty, particularly with Sabah being directly involved in this territorial dispute.”
Previously, former Sabah chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Salleh Said Keruak had warned Putrajaya to not take China’s encroachment lightly, adding that the country’s actions were a clear indication that it intended to control the waters of the South China Sea.
The Royal Malaysian Airforce (RMAF) had also scrambled fighter jets to intercept some 16 “suspicious” People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) planes over Malaysian airspace in May last year.
The Chinese air force transport planes had approached Malaysian airspace in a ‘tactical formation’ and flew within 60 nautical miles of the coast, according to a statement from RMAF.
On June 4, 2021 a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel was detected encroaching Malaysian waters near Beting Patinggi Ali, located just 84 nautical miles off the coast of Miri, Sarawak. – April 29, 2022
