China has once again flexed its muscles against Malaysian claims in the South China Sea.
This time airpower was used instead of the typical deployment of coast guard vessels
or maritime militia.
Malaysia has stated that it had summoned China's ambassador after 16 Chinese military aircraft
flew over disputed waters off its eastern state of Sarawak.
The Chinese PLAAF jets were Ilyushin Il-76 and Xian Y-20 strategic transport planes that
can perform several kinds of operations.
Fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the planes and Malaysia's foreign ministry described
the Chinese maneuver as a "serious threat to national sovereignty".
In this video Defense Updates analyzes how China has started aggressively circumventing
the Exclusive Economic Zone of Malaysia?
Let's get started.
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According to RMAF or Royal Malaysian Air Force, the Air Defence Centre in Sarawak spotted
the 16 PLA Air Force planes’ “suspicious” flight around 11.53 am.
The Chinese planes were seen entering the Malaysian Maritime Zone (ZMM) at 333 miles
per hour cluster between 23,000 and 27,000 feet above the high-water-mark.
The foreign ministry of Malaysia said on June 1 it would summon China’s envoy to explain
the “intrusion” by air force planes into its airspace.
An official statement read, “The Ministry will issue a diplomatic note of protest against
the intrusion to the Government of the People’s Republic of China.
The Ministry will also summon the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Malaysia
to provide an explanation regarding this breach of the Malaysian airspace and sovereignty
by the 16 PLAAF aircraft.”
Malaysian Air Force said in a statement, “The air force planes were flying in tactical formation,”
After being told to turn back by the Malaysian Air Traffic Control, the combat aircraft failed
to respond and continued advancing towards Sarawak River.
The RMAF then dispatched Hawk 208 fighter jets from Labuan Air Base’s 6th Squadron
to intercept those planes, according to media reports.
Around 1.33 pm, RMAF scrambled several jets to intercept the Chinese planes as they infiltrated
national airspace to conduct a concrete identification.
RMAF chief, General Tan Sri Ackbal Abdul Samad, was quoted as saying by media,
“They were flying over Singapore’s FIR (Flight Information Region – a section of
Indonesian airspace managed by Singapore) before entering Malaysia maritime zone and
continued to pass the Kota Kinabalu FIR to Sarawak coastal areas,”
He added.
“Their flight path changed above a small island called Beting Patinggi Ali, which is
on Malaysian soil off the coast of Sarawak,”
The RMAF stated that the Chinese planes were flying in formation “in-trail” at a distance
of 60 nautical miles from each other.
The statement added further, “This incident is a serious matter that
threatens national sovereignty and aviation safety, … The foreign ministry has taken
note of this through the defense ministry.”
China has rejected Malaysia’s criticism about its air force’s activities, saying
that its warplanes had been conducting routine training in accordance with international
law.
Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said, “This is a routine training activity carried
out by the Chinese air force in waters south of the Nansha Islands [China’s name for
the disputed Spratly Islands] and is not targeted at any country,”
“During the training period, the Chinese air force strictly abided by international
law and did not enter the airspace of other countries,” said Wang, adding that China
had already communicated with Malaysia on the matter.
A statement from the Chinese embassy in Kuala Lumpur downplayed the incident, saying Chinese
military aircraft enjoyed "the freedom of overflight in the relevant airspace".
A spokesman said, "During this training, the Chinese military
aircraft strictly abided by the relevant international law and did not enter the territorial airspace
of any other country.
China and Malaysia are friendly neighbour, and China is willing to continue bilateral
friendly consultations with Malaysia to jointly maintain regional peace and stability."
As per some reports, the Chinese coast guard and naval ships entered the Malaysian territorial
waters as many as 89 times between 2016 and 2019.
Last year, a Chinese survey ship and a Malaysian oil exploration vessel had a month-long standoff
within Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone.
These violations took place in the South China Sea.
China claims almost 90% of the South China Sea through its so-called nine-dash line map.
It says that it has "indisputable sovereignty" over the sea.
The wide-reaching demarcation was rejected by an arbitral tribunal at The Hague in July
2016.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have disputed these claims.
The route is significant as about $5 trillion in trade through shipping passes each year.
China is using its old strategy to assert control over almost the entire South China
Sea.
Viewers may note that In recent years, China has regularly sent coast guard and maritime
militia vessels into Malaysia’s EEZ.
This latest event also seems to be intended to test Malaysia’s air defense response
time and gather electronic intelligence, such as the RMAF’s radar signature and response
time.
The Philippines has been protesting for months over the presence of hundreds of Chinese fishing
vessels in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which it claims are staffed by Chinese militia.
There has not been much impact and it is unlikely that Malaysian protests will have any different
effect.
China’s aggressive and expansionist maneuvers is putting it at loggerheads with almost
all its neighbors and are creating geopolitical unrest in the Asia-Pacific.
Malaysia needs to pull up its socks and prepare.