Tag Archives: Malaysia

100 China-registered vessels encroaching on Malaysian waters in South China Sea: Minister

KUALA LUMPUR – About 100 China-registered boats and vessels were detected in Malaysia’s waters near Beting Patinggi Ali in the South China Sea on Thursday (March 24), said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Shahidan Kassim amid rising regional tensions over the contested waters. Shahidan was quoted by state news agency Bernama as saying that […]

M’sia working with Asian counterparts on claims over South China Sea

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is cooperating with other countries in Asia to ensure there is no conflict or power struggle over the South China Sea. Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Naina Merican said all the countries including Brunei, the Phillipines, Vietnam, China and Malaysia, are responsible to ensure the peace and stability in the South […]

Malaysia calls for expanded use of CUES in South China Sea

The Royal Malaysian Navy has called for CUES to be used by other maritime agencies in the region Move is aimed at further preventing possible escalation of incidents in South China Sea The Chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN), Admiral Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin, has called for wider use of a naval protocol that was […]

Bridging South China Sea divide

 Nobody wants to admit it publicly, at least on the Malaysian side that the Asean Defence Ministers Plus meeting in Malaysia early this month nearly became a disaster. Disagreement between the United States and China over how to address the South China Sea issue resulted in the ministers failing to issue a joint declaration outlining […]

China Appreciates Malaysia’s ‘Quiet’ Diplomacy Approach In Handling South China Sea Issue

China appreciates the “Quiet Diplomacy” approach taken by Malaysia in handling the South China Sea issue, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said. “In another word, they like our non-confrontational approach by using diplomacy as a channel to resolve a complex issue,” he said after a bilateral meeting with China’s President, Xi JinPing here, […]

Regional superpower’ has encroached into Malaysia’s maritime territory: DPM Ahmad Zahid

KOTA KINABALU (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – A regional superpower has encroached into maritime territory by constructing airstrips, jetties and other facilities on three atolls just 155km from Sabah, says Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Without naming the superpower concerned, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid said the country’s motives of building the facilities 3,218km […]

Malaysian Deputy PM says must defend sovereignty in South China Sea dispute

Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister said the country must defend encroachment of its sovereignty in a veiled swipe at China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, as tensions flared ahead of a regional meeting that Beijing will attend. Without directly referring to China, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi questioned why land was being reclaimed on coral areas […]

How Is Malaysia Responding to China’s South China Sea Intrusion?

Since 2013, a Chinese coast guard vessel has been defiantly anchored in Malaysian waters at the Luconia Shoals – which Malaysia calls Beting Patinggi Ali – in a vivid demonstration of Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea (See: “Malaysia Responds to China’s South China Sea Intrusion”). The vessel is just 84 nautical miles […]

Malaysia slams China’s ‘provocation’ in South China Sea

China’s relations with several Southeast Asian countries, especially the Philippines and Vietnam who have competing claims in the South China Sea, have been strained by Beijing’s increasingly assertive tone in an area through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes annually. Beijing’s move last year to step up the creation of artificial islands, which it […]

China’s Big South China Sea Gamble

As far as Malaysia is concerned, the presence of Chinese Coast Guard vessels may potentially encourage it to respond aggressively by posturing and deploying military assets, which may in turn bring the two maritime forces close enough to cause a naval incident. Malaysia has preferred ‘quiet diplomacy’ to prevent any escalation in its relationship with […]