Opinion | Malaysia cautious over US role in disputed South China Sea

Despite the US Navy bolstering Malaysia’s presence in the disputed sea recently, the Southeast Asian country is wary of aligning itself too closely with the US

Malaysia’s political leaders, no matter their stripes, are generally not keen for the country to be enlisted into a new Cold War

Reading Time:5 minutes

Published: 9:24am, 5 Jun 2020Updated: 3:02pm, 5 Jun 2020

In April, reports emerged of a “stand-off” in the South China Sea between the West Capella, an exploration ship hired by Malaysian national oil firm Petronas, and the Haiyang Dizhi 8, a Chinese government survey vessel.

The incident on April 17 also involved Vietnamese ships tagging the West Capella, as the waters in which the ship was operating are also claimed by Vietnam – although this fact was not as well highlighted in some reports.

Three days later, the US Navy dispatched two warships to the area, joined by an Australian Navy vessel, in an apparent move to bolster Malaysia. The US maintained a presence in the area for weeks, with the deployment seen by analysts as showing US commitment to international law and to its “allies and partners” in Southeast Asia. The episode ended when the West Capella left after completing its work on May 12. The Haiyang Dizhi 8 left three days later.

Malaysia’s reaction to the dispatching of the uninvited US warships, however, was ambivalent at the least, and unwelcoming at the most.

After first denying there was a stand-off, Foreign Affairs Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on April 22 said in a statement that Malaysia “must avoid unintended, accidental incidents in these waters”.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x