ABC: Malaysia to lodge formal protest after Chinese military 'intrusion' in airspace over South China Sea

Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports:

The Malaysian Foreign Ministry has said it will lodge a diplomatic protest over 16 Chinese military transport planes that violated Malaysia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) while conducting “suspicious” activity over the contested South China Sea.

Malaysia’s air force said it was forced to scramble jets on Monday to conduct visual confirmation after the planes flew within the country’s EEZ, 60 nautical miles (111 kilometres) off the coast of Sarawak state of Malaysian Borneo.

The Chinese planes did not contact the regional air traffic controller despite being instructed several times, the air force said.

Malaysia’s air force said the planes, comprising Ilyushin il-76 and Xian Y-20 strategic transporters, had travelled in an “in-trail” tactical formation…

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