The foreign ministry of China on Tuesday (9) dismissed charges that boats of a Chinese maritime militia had intentionally approached a zone of the South China Sea where navies of India and member-states of the Association of South East Asian Nations were conducting drills.
According to Reuters which confirmed this, an independent expert based in Vietnam said China appeared to be using the militia to disrupt the sea drills.
When Reuters requested, China's foreign ministry said the country's fishing and scientific research vessels carry out normal production and work activities in maritime areas that fall under Beijing's jurisdiction.
The ministry also warned that "the outside world" should refrain from making groundless accusations or create trouble out of nothing.
Governments of India and Vietnam refused to comment on the matter, Reuters added.
The two-day inaugural naval exercise of the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise kicked off on Sunday (7) with naval ships and jets from Indian and ASEAN nations such as Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines participating.
They were present in the Vietnamese Exclusive Economic Zone when the Chinese boats allegedly moved towards their direction, Indian sources said. They added that the militia boats and the naval vessels did not have any face off.
Indian authorities were keeping a watch on at least five militia boats, the sources said in the condition of anonymity. They also said that a Chinese research vessel was following the boats towards the same area, the report added.
Such militias include commercial fishing boats that work in coordination with Chinese authorities for political objectives in the South China Sea, Reuters added.
The Chinese government has in the past rejected the existence of such militia.
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