South African authorities pursued nine Chinese fishing vessels over the weekend in marine protected waters, then on Monday welcomed a Chinese naval escort task force to the Simon’s Town naval base for a friendly four-day visit.

The visiting Chinese naval vessels include a guided missile destroyer, a supply ship and a frigate, EnglishCri reported. This is the fourth visit of its kind by Chinese Navy ships to South Africa.

The Chinese distant waters fishing fleet has been making headlines in many parts of the world in recent months, MaritimeExecutive reported.

In March, the Argentine Navy fired on and sank a Chinese vessel allegedly found fishing illegally. Days later, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel intervened to prevent Indonesian authorities from detaining a Chinese fishing boat in Indonesian waters, prompting a diplomatic protest and the threat of legal action. Indonesia has since partnered with a Silicon Valley firm for satellite radio signal monitoring to track and locate illegal fishing boats, according to MaritimeExecutive:

Chinese fishing vessels are also a recurring concern in the dispute over China’s claims in the South China Sea.

Abraham Denmark, U.S. deputy assistant defense secretary for East Asia, recently alleged that “some of their fishing vessels . . . (are) acting in unprofessional manners in the vicinity of the military forces or fishing vessels of other countries in a way that’s designed to attempt to establish a degree of control around disputed features,” Denmark said. “It seems . . . these activities are designed to stay below the threshold of conflict, but gradually demonstrate and assert claims that other countries dispute.”

The actions aren’t sufficiently aggressive enough to trigger military rules of engagement – but they send a message, he said.

During the Chinese Navy’s visit to South Africa, it will conduct joint exercises with the South African Navy in South African coastal waters. The public will be welcomed aboard.

The U.N. authorized the Chinese Navy to start dispatching warships to the region for escort missions since December 2008, EnglishCri reported.

“The three warships are fully loaded with the deep friendship of the Chinese people,” said Rear Admiral Chen Qiangnan of the Chinese Navy, according to a report in MaritimeExecutive. “As soon as we arrived here, we received (a) warm welcome from the South African people.”

Over the weekend, authorities stopped a Chinese fishing vessel in South Africa’s territorial waters and detained the crew while officials investigate whether they were fishing illegally in the country’s exclusive economic zone, or EEZ.

The exclusive economic zone is prescribed by the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, giving countries special rights regarding use of marine resources. The zone stretches to 200 nautical miles off the coast.

No fish were found aboard the vessel Lu Huang Yuan Yu 186, one of nine Chinese fishing boats pursued by South African authorities over the weekend. The crew turned off the navigational lights in an attempt to escape and did not cooperate with a boarding attempt, MaritimeExecutive reported. The other eight vessels also turned off their lights and scattered.

Crew members said the boats were on their way to West Africa and had not committed any serious offense. They claimed they were going to fish in Democratic Republic of Congo and said they had the necessary permits.

“There was no fish found but fishing equipment was found,” said fisheries spokesman Bomikazi Molapo.

Online commentator David Viaene writes about the presence of Chinese fishing boats off the South African coast.

“It is going to be interesting to see how this is explained away,” Viaene said. “How are they going to explain transponders being switched off in the marine-protected areas? How are they going to explain eyewitness observations of giant spotlights pointed towards the backs of the boats as they were moving?”

Monday in Simon’s Town, members of the South African Navy Band welcomed the visiting Chinese naval ships, according to Xinhua.