Indonesian patrol vessels chased a Chinese coast guard vessel away from an inspection vessel in a disputed area of ​​the South China Sea for the third time in a week, according to a statement from Indonesia’s Maritime Security Agency.

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian patrol ships chase a Chinese coast guard vessel from an inspection vessel in a disputed area of ​​the South China Sea for the third time in a weekaccording to a statement from the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency on Saturday.

A video released by the agency showed the Indonesian ship following the Chinese one on Friday afternoon.

China’s coast guard said it was patrolling in its own jurisdiction.

However, Indonesia’s coast guard and navy have insisted that the Indonesian continental shelf in the area has received international recognition and that Indonesia has sovereign rights to exploit and explore the natural resources in that area without being disturbed by any country.

Indonesian authorities said the Chinese vessel was first detected near the MV Geo Coral on Monday. An Indonesian patrol vessel contacted the vessel, whose crew insisted the area was under Chinese jurisdiction, before the Indonesian coast guard and navy vessels chased the Chinese vessel away.

The second attempt took place on Wednesday morning, when the Chinese vessel again approached the seismic survey site and was driven away, according to the Maritime Security Agency.

“The Indonesian Maritime Security Agency will continue to show its commitment to maintaining security and enforcing the law in Indonesian waters and in Indonesian jurisdictional areas.” the agency statement said.

China’s “nine-dash line,” which it uses to roughly delimit its claim to most of the South China Sea, overlaps with a section of Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone that extends from the Natuna Islands.

Indonesia has no formal territorial dispute with China over the South China Sea, but has become increasingly protective of its rights in the region, while Chinese ships have regularly entered the area Indonesia calls The North Sea. fueling tensions between countries.