(Royal Malaysian Air Force/AP)Malaysia’s government will issue a diplomatic protest against an “intrusion” by 16 Chinese military aircraft into its airspace, the foreign minister said. The Chinese planes then moved nearly 60 nautical miles (110 kilometers) off the coast of Sarawak on Borneo island. The Chinese Embassy defended the activity, saying its military planes did not violate Malaysia’s airspace and had exercised freedom of overflight in the area. During the training, the Chinese military aircraft strictly abided by the relevant international law and did not enter the territorial airspace of any other country, the embassy said in a statement. Malaysia says Chinese coast guard and navy ships intruded into its waters in the South China Sea 89 times between 2016 and 2019.

Source: Irish Independent June 02, 2021 06:50 UTC