Malaysia keeps eye on ‘status quo’, Beijing trade ties with quiet approach in South China Sea
- A Chinese vessel’s latest patrol of Malaysian waters has highlighted the country’s low profile approach to such intrusions
- A ‘noisier’ approach could hurt its trade and economic interests, and cause ‘unbridled escalation’ in the disputed sea, analysts say
Malaysia’s low-key response to Chinese coastguard patrols of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) signals an interest in maintaining economic ties with Beijing and a desire not to “politicise or unilaterally alter the status quo in the region”, analysts have said.
On February 17, the China Coast Guard 5403 vessel sailed off the coast of Malaysia to begin a period of intrusive patrolling into the country’s oil and gas fields, according to SeaLight, a Stanford University project focused on grey zone activities in the South China Sea. The patrol is still ongoing.
Ngeow Chow-Bing, director of the Institute of China Studies at the University of Malaya, said Malaysia had maintained a low profile approach to China’s maritime intrusions for more than a decade, preferring to register its protests through diplomatic channels while sending out navy and coastguard vessels to keep an eye on the Chinese boats.
“This is the standard approach and will remain so unless the status quo is disrupted,” Ngeow said, adding that a “noisier” approach was unnecessary and could even be counterproductive.
