CHINA-MALAYSIA: SOUTH CHINA SEA
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Malaysia's Borneo Post reported on June 3, 2015, that a patrol boat of the China Coast Guard had been detected encroaching on the waters surrounding the Luconia Shoals, which are administered by Malaysia but also claimed by China and Taiwan.The Shanghai-based Guancha Syndicate identified the Chinese vessel as the Haijing 1123 patrol boat and said that it had been involved in a "confrontation" with Malaysian maritime vessels near the Qiongtai Jiao — or Luconia Breakers — of the Luconia Shoals, which it states is a piece of Chinese territory Malaysia has long claimed. The Guancha Syndicate added that the reef is among China's southernmost territory and claims that it has been effectively under Beijing's control since April. The vessel is reported to have been anchored in the area for about two years. Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, an official in Malaysia's prime minister's department, said they have sent vessels from the Royal Malaysian Navy and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency to monitor the area around the clock "to ensure the sovereignty of the country." He emphasised that the area belongs to Malaysia and that the government will do whatever it takes to protect and defend Malaysian waters in the South China Sea from being encroached on by intruders or unlicensed foreign fisherman.
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