A Chinese government survey ship embroiled in a standoff with Vietnamese vessels moved south near Malaysia, shipping data showed yesterday, amid accusations that China is using the COVID-19 pandemic to assert its presence in the South China Sea.
The Haiyang Dizhi 8 was spotted off Vietnam this week, returning after being closely tracked last year in the resource-rich waters, a potential global flashpoint as the US challenges China’s sweeping maritime claims.
The ship appeared to have started a survey in waters 352km off the coasts of Brunei and Malaysia yesterday, according to data from Marine Traffic, a Web site that tracks shipping.
That appeared to be just north of Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone.
A Malaysian coast guard vessel, the KM Pekan, is shadowing the Chinese ship, a Malaysian maritime source said, declining to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.
The Haiyang Dizhi 8 had been flanked by as many as seven Chinese coast guard vessels that have since moved away, two sources familiar with the matter said.
The Malaysian navy was monitoring the situation, one of the sources said.
The foreign ministries of Malaysia, Brunei and China did not respond to requests for comment.
On Wednesday, a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman had said that the ship was conducting normal activities and accused US officials of using the South China Sea issue to smear Beijing.
The presence of the Haiyang Dizhi 8 in the South China Sea comes amid movement curbs imposed by Southeast Asian countries to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The US Department of State had urged Beijing to focus on combating the pandemic and “stop exploiting the distraction or vulnerability of other states to expand its unlawful claims in the South China Sea.”
China’s U-shaped “nine-dash line” on its maps marks a vast expanse of the waters that it claims, including large expanses that are also claimed by Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei.
Earlier this year, Washington think tank the Asian Maritime Transparency Initiative said that China has maintained an almost constant presence in Luconia shoals. The shoals are divided into North Luconia Shoals (Beikang Shoal, 北康暗沙) and South Luconia Shoals (Nankang Shoal, 南康暗沙), and also claimed by Taiwan as part of the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島).
Last year, at least one Chinese Coast Guard vessel spent weeks in waters close to an oil rig in a Vietnamese oil block, operated by Russia’s Rosneft, while the Haiyang Dizhi 8 conducted suspected oil exploration surveys in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone.
The military is to begin conscripting civilians next year, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said yesterday, citing rising tensions with Thailand as the reason for activating a long-dormant mandatory enlistment law. The Cambodian parliament in 2006 approved a law that would require all Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months, although it has never been enforced. Relations with Thailand have been tense since May, when a long-standing territorial dispute boiled over into cross-border clashes, killing one Cambodian soldier. “This episode of confrontation is a lesson for us and is an opportunity for us to review, assess and
The Russian minister of foreign affairs warned the US, South Korea and Japan against forming a security partnership targeting North Korea as he visited the ally country for talks on further solidifying their booming military and other cooperation. Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov spoke on Saturday in Wonsan City, North Korea, where he met North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un and conveyed greetings from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kim during the meeting reaffirmed his government’s commitment to “unconditionally support and encourage all measures” taken by Russia in its conflict with Ukraine. Pyongyang and Moscow share identical views on “all strategic issues in
IDENTITY: A sex extortion scandal involving Thai monks has deeply shaken public trust in the clergy, with 11 monks implicated in financial misconduct Reverence for the saffron-robed Buddhist monkhood is deeply woven into Thai society, but a sex extortion scandal has besmirched the clergy and left the devout questioning their faith. Thai police this week arrested a woman accused of bedding at least 11 monks in breach of their vows of celibacy, before blackmailing them with thousands of secretly taken photos of their trysts. The monks are said to have paid nearly US$12 million, funneled out of their monasteries, funded by donations from laypeople hoping to increase their merit and prospects for reincarnation. The scandal provoked outrage over hypocrisy in the monkhood, concern that their status
‘FALSE NARRATIVE’: China and the Solomon Islands inked a secretive security pact in 2022, which is believed to be a prelude to building a Chinese base, which Beijing denied The Australian government yesterday said it expects China to spy on major military drills it is conducting with the US and other allies. It also renewed a charge — denounced by Beijing as a “false narrative” — that China wants to establish a military base in the South Pacific. The comments by a government minister came as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a six-day visit to China to bolster recently repaired trade ties. More than 30,000 military personnel from 19 nations are set to join in the annual Talisman Sabre exercises from yesterday across Australia and Papua New Guinea. “The Chinese military have
RSS