KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia has protested new maritime laws in the Philippines that it says encroach on its territory, a government official said Friday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mohamad Alamin said Malaysia sent a note of protest against the Philippine laws on Thursday. Experts found the landmark documents related to the laws reiterated Manila’s long-standing claim to the oil-rich Malaysian state of Sabah in northern Borneo, he said.

Last week, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed The Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Philippine Archipelago Seaways Act, which reaffirmed the country’s maritime territories and right to resources, including in South China Sea. It is further cemented Rejection of Manila the Chinese claim virtually the entire South China Sea and stipulate prison terms and heavy fines for offenders. The laws also angered China.

China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Indonesia and Taiwan all claim parts of the South China Sea. Clashes between Chinese and Philippine coast guards and naval forces at sea have increased since last year, raising fears that the United States — a longtime Manila treaty ally — could be drawn into a major conflict.

Mohamad Alamin was quoted by local media as saying in Parliament on Thursday that the new Philippine laws extend its claims to the internationally recognized Malaysian borders established in 1979. He said the protest note demonstrated Malaysia’s commitment to defend its sovereignty.

Sabah, which is a two-hour boat ride from the southern Philippines, and neighboring Sarawak in Borneo became part of Malaysia in 1963. The Philippines has long claimed Sabah, which was once part of the centuries-old sultanate of Sulu.