Chinese, Malaysian ships in South China Sea

There are overlapping claims in the South China Sea. Zubil Mat Som, the head of Malaysia's maritime enforcement agency, confirmed that the Haiyang Dizhi 8 was in Malaysian waters. "We do not know its purpose but it is not carrying out any activities against the law," he said.

KUALA LUMPUR: A Chinese government survey ship is tagging an exploration vessel operated by Malaysia's state oil company Petronas in disputed waters in the South China Sea, three regional security sources said on Friday.

China's Haiyang Dizhi 8 entered waters near Malaysia on Thursday, according to ship tracking website Marine Traffic.