Malaysia’s call for big powers to uphold international law ‘consistently’ marks regional unease

Malaysia’s call for major powers to apply international law “consistently, not selectively” could signal growing regional unease with how big players are seen to invoke rules only when convenient. Defence Minister Khaled Nordin delivered the message on Monday at the 37th International Military Law and Operations Conference in Kuala Lumpur, where he said major powers had a special responsibility to uphold global stability without bending the rules to suit their interests. “Malaysia sees you as the custodians of global peace and stability,” he said. “But we expect you to do so while respecting international laws and rules-based orders – consistently, not selectively.” Analysts said the remarks were aimed broadly at major powers, including the United States and China, as Southeast Asian states sought stronger deterrence against coercion while trying to preserve their strategic autonomy. Officials from the US Pacific Command (PACOM) also pledged at the conference to maintain a regional presence to deter aggression. Captain Dustin Wallace, staff judge advocate at PACOM, said Washington remained committed to working with Asean member states to strengthen existing partnerships and building new ones to advance regional peace, security and prosperity. “We want to encourage Asean centrality,” Wallace told reporters on Monday, adding that the US sought closer cooperation with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations based on its own national priorities. Tensions in the South China Sea remain central to the US presence in the region, with Wallace saying Washington would continue to operate in contested waters where China and the Philippines have been locked in repeated confrontations. “We have seen aggression and destabilising actions by China in the South China Sea, primarily focused against our Philippine partners, but not exclusively,” he said. “It is our job at PACOM to deter any form of aggression, to deter any form of destabilising activity in the South China Sea and across the Indo-Pacific.” Wallace said Washington remained committed to defending international law, including freedom of navigation and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), describing the growing use of the “rule of law” as one of the region’s key legal and security challenges. He said those challenges included some nations operating under a “rule by law” system, using law as a tool to isolate, intimidate and coerce. “We operate under a rule of law system, whereby we use the law as a tool to safeguard and protect rights.” Kao Kim Hourn, Asean secretary general, said in his speech that the emphasis on international law and strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific should be approached through dialogue, diplomacy and practical cooperation instead of confrontation. Kao said Asean centrality – efforts to keep regional diplomacy anchored in forums led by the bloc – was not about choosing sides, but about upholding an open and inclusive regional architecture. “Asean centrality is neither about exclusivity nor dominance,” Kao said. “Rather it reflects Asean’s role as an honest broker, a trusted convenor, and a reliable platform that enables cooperation among all key stakeholders.” Rules-based order under strain Analysts said Putrajaya’s message reflected a growing concern that diplomacy and international law alone might no longer be enough to safeguard regional stability as strategic competition intensified. “Once every power claims an exception for itself, the rules-based order risks being replaced by an order determined by relative strength,” said Collins Chong Yew Keat, a foreign affairs and security analyst at the University of Malaya, noting that Khaled’s message was seen as multidirectional. He said the minister warned Western powers that their defence of international law must remain consistent while states operating in the South China Sea must not override Unclos. “Malaysia is stressing the legitimacy and consistent application of international law, while the US is stressing the capability and presence needed to discourage violations of that law,” Chong said. International law without credible deterrence could become merely declaratory, while deterrence without international law could descend into power politics and coercion, he added. Khaled’s remarks, however, affirmed his country’s long-standing position rather than a sudden shift in foreign policy, according to Ilango Karuppannan, a former Malaysian ambassador and adjunct professor at Taylor’s University. Karuppannan said Khaled’s remarks should not be interpreted as targeting Washington or Beijing alone but as reaffirming Malaysia’s stance that smaller states relied on international law to safeguard their sovereignty and security. “Kuala Lumpur is signalling that it does not want to choose between Washington and Beijing, nor does it want Asean to be divided along those lines. It wants international law applied consistently.” He said while the bloc had limited ability to compel major powers to comply with international law, its influence remained significant. “Its influence comes from collective diplomacy, agenda-setting and the consistent defence of agreed principles,” Karuppannan said, adding that Malaysia was now more vocal in expressing its foreign policies. Amir Fareed Rahim, director of strategy at KRA Group, said Khaled’s remarks reflected wider concerns across Southeast Asia, such as Beijing’s conduct in the South China Sea and the perception of Western powers applying different standards depending on their strategic interests. He said Malaysia had shown growing confidence in asserting its independent foreign policy while maintaining ties with both Washington and Beijing. “Malaysia is making the point now because US-China rivalry is intensifying and Southeast Asian states are under growing pressure to align with one side or the other.” While Asean lacked the means to hold major powers accountable, Amir said the bloc remained an important diplomatic platform. “This positions Malaysia as a leading voice for Asean’s middle ground, supportive of external engagement, opposed to coercion and resistant to bloc politics.”

Malaysia’s call for big powers to uphold international law ‘consistently’ marks regional unease

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Analysts say the remarks are aimed broadly at powerful states as Southeast Asian nations seek stronger deterrence against coercion

Analysts say the remarks are aimed broadly at powerful states as Southeast Asian nations seek stronger deterrence against coercion