Kuala Lumpur: The foreign ministry of Malaysia has ay said it would summon China's envoy to explain an "intrusion" by 16 air force planes into its airspace, after the Southeast Asian country's military detected "suspicious" activity over the South China Sea.

Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said late Tuesday that he will summon the Chinese ambassador to explain "this breach of the Malaysian airspace and sovereignty."

Malaysia's air force said its radar picked up the Chinese aircraft Monday near Malaysian-administered Luconia Shoals, a rich fishing ground in the disputed South China Sea. The Chinese planes then moved nearly 60 nautical miles (110kms) off the coast of Sarawak, Borneo island.

After attempts to contact the aircraft failed, the air force sent its fighter planes to identify them. It said they were Ilyushin Il-76 and Xian Y-20 strategic transporters, flying at between 23,000- 27,000 feet altitude typically used by commercial flights. Malaysia called the incident a "serious threat to national sovereignty and flight safety." "Malaysia's stand is clear- having friendly diplomatic relations with any country does not mean we will compromise our national security," Hishammuddin said in a statement. He said he will relay Malaysia's serious concern on the matter to his Chinese counterpart. There was no reaction from Beijing.

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