Zengmu Reef News

The submerged reef would be easy to miss, under turquoise seas about 80 km (50 miles) off Malaysia's Borneo island state of Sarawak. But two Chinese naval exercises in less than a year around the James Shoal have shocked Malaysia and led to a significant shift in its approach to China's claims to the disputed South China Sea, senior diplomats told Reuters. The reef lies outside Malaysia's territorial waters but inside its 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone. The latest incident in January, in particular, prompted Malaysia to quietly step up cooperation with the Philippines and Vietnam, the two Southeast Asian nations most outspoken over China's moves in the region, in trying to tie Beijing to binding rules of conduct in the South China Sea, the diplomats said.

China Navy's  Nanhai Fleet flotilla is patrolling the Zengmu Reef, the southernmost part [of what it considers to be] the country's territory, and those on board the 3 ships took a ceremonial oath to safeguard sovereignty, reports Xinhua. The Zengmu Reef is a key maritime traffic juncture as well as a strategic spot. The Chinese navy patrols the area, about 50 miles off the coast of Malaysia on a regular basis. Known in English as James Shoal, the reef is claimed also by Malaysia, and the Republic of China (Taiwan).