China’s ambassador to Malaysia on Tuesday disputed Malaysia’s claim that Chinese fishing boats had encroached into Malaysia’s territorial waters in the South China Sea, insisting that the area has been a traditional Chinese fishing ground since 600 years ago.
The envoy, Huang Huikang, was reported by The Star daily as saying in a statement that the fishing boats were “quite far away” from Qiontai Jiao, as the Luconia Shoals are known to the Chinese.
He said Chinese fishermen had been fishing in that area since the days when Admiral
Zheng He of the Ming dynasty set off for the South China Sea and beyond, some 600 years ago.
Huang was summoned by the Malaysian Foreign Ministry last Friday for “clarification” and “to register Malaysia’s concern” over the alleged intrusion of some 100 Chinese fishing boats near the Luconia Shoals, accompanied by a Chinese Coast Guard vessel.
In his statement, however, Huang said he made a “courtesy call” to Deputy Director General
Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob at the ministry in Putrajaya, the federal administrative capital, to congratulate him on his recent promotion and to discuss bilateral issues.
“It is true that there are overlapping claims between China and Malaysia over certain islands and reefs in the South China Sea which is a historical issue,” The Star quoted Huang as saying.
He believed the two countries could settle the issue in “an amicable, peaceful and quiet way.”
The Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency said on March 29 that the Chinese boats were first encountered on March 24 and that they remained until March 27, with the number of boats ranging from 40 to 100 on different days.
The boats were spread out within a 1,931-square-kilometer area inside Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone, the agency said.
China claims over 90 percent of the South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The alleged intrusion came after Indonesia intercepted a Chinese fishing boat last week off Natuna Island in the southernmost region of the South China Sea, sparking a diplomatic spat.
Then on Monday, Vietnam announced it had seized a Chinese ship and detained its captain and two sailors. The ship was allegedly carrying over 100,000 liters of diesel oil meant to refuel Chinese trawlers fishing “illegally” in an area Vietnam claims is theirs.
==Kyodo
Category: Daily Witness, National
