Serembu assemblyman Miro Simuh said he had raised the issue with the state government as he viewed it as a serious threat to national security and sovereignty.

“I have received photographs of Chinese warships in our waters. The question is, why are they encroaching into our territory so easily?” he asked in a statement today.

Miro called on the government to submit a note of protest to Asean and hold dialogues among other nations to prevent potential incursions.

“I suggest the government do so immediately through Wisma Putra, as it is a reputable institution. A notice should also be sent to the Chinese embassy in Malaysia.

“This is not the time to be silent,” he said, adding that it was crucial to act decisively in the interest of national security and sovereignty.

In June last year, Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) fighter jets were scrambled to intercept 16 PLAAF planes over Malaysian airspace.

RMAF said the “suspicious” flight of the 16 air force planes was detected by the Air Defence Centre in Sarawak entering the Malaysian Maritime Zone (ZMM), flying in tactical formation.

There was no response from the planes after being told to turn back by the Malaysian Air Traffic Control, and they instead headed towards Sarawak waters.

The RMAF then scrambled Hawk 208 fighter jets from the 6th Squadron of the Labuan Air Base to intercept the foreign planes, identified as Ilyushin Il-76 and Xian Y-20 strategic transport aircraft.

The Chinese planes eventually turned around and left in the same direction they entered the ZMM.

In 2020, it was reported that the CCG and navy ships intruded into Malaysian waters 89 times between 2016 and 2019. The intrusions happened in the hotly disputed South China Sea.