BEIJING has been blasted by Indonesia after an armed Chinese boat patrolled waters claimed by both sides.
The Chinese vessel, also known as CCG 5204, was equipped with a machine gun mounted on the front. The country’s coast guard claimed the gun was only intended to be used as a defence against pirates, according to Phil Star News journalist Patrivia Viray.
Now, authorities in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, are speaking out against what they see as an intrusion into their waters.
The ship, however, said it was patrolling within territories owned by China.
Indonesian ambassador Teuku Faizasyah said in a statement: “The Ministry re-emphasised to the Chinese representative that there’s no overlapping between Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone and China’s waters.”
The boat was expelled from the area on Monday following a heated argument with Indonesian authorities via radio, the South China Morning Post reports.