Commentary: Malaysia and the South China Sea dispute – a sea change under PM Anwar Ibrahim?

DOWNPLAYING THE DISPUTE WITH CHINA

In accordance with the second prong, the Anwar administration continues to downplay the dispute with China. In an interview in June, Anwar accused the West of exaggerating tensions in the South China Sea: “Do we have a problem (with China)? Yes. Have we encountered any serious clashes or problems? No.”

In another example, in a recent media interview, the director-general of the National Security Council, Nushirwan bin Zainal Abidin, said that while he would prefer Chinese ships not to loiter in Malaysian waters, their presence should not “colour” bilateral relations and that “We can let sleeping dogs lie”.

A statement by Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan at the recent ASEAN Ministerial Meeting provoked consternation in some quarters when he said that “issues” within the region should be resolved through dialogue among the countries themselves. His statement was accurate: The Code of Conduct is between ASEAN and China only, and a resolution to the dispute can be achieved only by the disputants themselves. Both China and Malaysia have long agreed on these two points.

Hasan’s comment that any attempt by an ASEAN member to bring in “external influence” to solve its problems will cause “uncertainty” may have been a dig at the Philippines for its tight relationship with the United States.

But Malaysia also has close defence ties with the US and facilitates its military presence in Southeast Asia through regular ship visits and joint exercises, mostly recently in Sabah, which fronts the South China Sea. In contrast, Malaysia’s military ties with China are much thinner.

To be sure, Malaysia has adopted a very different approach to the South China Sea dispute than either Vietnam or the Philippines, and sometimes it appears as if Kuala Lumpur is leaning towards Beijing’s position.

But the three-pronged policy allows Malaysia to maintain close ties with China while asserting its territorial claims and protecting its sovereign rights. Anwar understands this and will not deviate from it.

Ian Storey is a Senior Fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. This commentary first appeared on the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s blog, Fulcrum.