Malaysia's maritime authority said Tuesday Chinese coast guard vessels escorted about 100 Chinese fishing trawlers into Malaysia's territorial waters near Luconia Shoals in the South China Sea last week.
The shoals are known locally as Beting Patinggi Ali.
"It is unprecedented. This is the first time," Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Director-General Adm. Ahmad Puzi Abdul Kahar told reporters of the huge fleet of fishing boats his agency encountered last Thursday. "That is why we are taking a cautious approach."