South China Sea Strategies for other nations (Not China)

Last week, The Borneo Post reported that China had once again encroached into Malaysian waters in the South China Sea.

According to the June 2

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, confirmed by Malaysian officials, a Chinese Coast Guard ship had been detected intruding into Malaysian waters at the Luconia Shoals – which Malaysia calls Beting Patinggi Ali. In this case, the vessel was not just passing through, but had been defiantly anchored just 84 nautical miles from the coast of Sarawak, well inside Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone and on the southern end of China’s nine-dash line which covers about ninety percent of the South China Sea.

This is hardly the first time Chinese vessels have encroached on Malaysian waters. Indeed, as I have written before both here and elsewhere, these intrusions have become both bolder and more frequent over the past few years (See: “

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”). They pose a clear threat not only to the country’s claims in the South China Sea, but its extensive natural resource activities there as well as the territorial integrity of the nation given that the waterway divides Peninsular Malaysia from East Malaysia.

In response, Malaysia, a nation which has traditionally sought to secure its interests in the South China Sea quietly without undermining its overall relationship with Beijing through what I have termed a ‘playing it safe’ approach, has become increasingly alarmed and recalibrated its policy. Over the past few years, Malaysia has been lodging diplomatic protests directly with Beijing while also shaping debate on the South China Sea within ASEAN, increasing its military capabilities and strengthening ties with other countries including the United States (See: “

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”).

Malaysia’s reaction to this incident is indicative of its growing concern. While Malaysia has at times downplayed such South China Sea-related matters in the past and preferred to handle them privately, the country’s response this time was much firmer and more public. Shahidan Kassim, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department,

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a press conference following the incident that he had held meetings with the country’s foreign ministry, national security council, navy and coast guard on the issue. He also announced that Malaysia had sent its navy and coast guard to monitor the area “to ensure the sovereignty of the country.”

Shahidan also took to his personal Facebook page to provide the Malaysian public with further details about the country’s response as well as pictures of the feature in question. In the post, which was written in Malay, he said Malaysian navy and coast guard vessels had anchored around one nautical mile from the Chinese vessel to monitor its activities. He also clarified that the feature was not a case of overlapping claims but one of a foreign ship intruding into Malaysia’s waters.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on Monday, Shahidan said that Malaysia would also be taking further diplomatic action, and that Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak would himself raise the issue directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He also reiterated the fact that this was not an issue of overlapping claims.

“This is not an area with overlapping claims. In this case, we’re taking diplomatic action,” he

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in the interview.

Malaysia – like many other countries – has registered such diplomatic protests before. What is interesting in this case is that the country is making a point to reveal publicly that it is doing so at the highest levels, rather than just carrying this out more quietly as it often does.

The relative hardening of Malaysia’s line in the South China Sea thus far should not be viewed as an abandonment of its ‘playing it safe’ approach.’ Though the response has been firmer and more public, it is still quite measured. Shahidan did not publicly condemn Beijing’s actions to a level that would prompt an escalatory Chinese response, and the Malaysian vessels have also been deployed cautiously. The Najib administration has proven unwilling to let the issue damage the Malaysia’s broader relationship with its largest trading partner, and there is little evidence to suggest this will change anytime soon. Malaysia is also no doubt aware that it is not capable of confronting Beijing directly. Indeed, as I have noted previously, the country has been careful to build in mechanisms to prevent escalation even when it does confront Chinese vessels, down to the number of ships deployed.

Nonetheless, it is notable that Beijing’s assertiveness in the South China Sea has been so alarming that it has even hardened the position of a country that – unlike the Philippines and Vietnam – has been traditionally quieter in how it expresses its reservations.

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Zetageist said:

Malaysia Responds to China’s South China Sea Intrusion
The country’s reacts strongly to Beijing’s incursion into its waters.

By

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for The Diplomat
June 09, 2015

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plawolf said:

EEZ does not equate to territorial waters, and foreign ships are free to do what they like in other people's EEZs so long as its not economic activity.

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plawolf said:

Sounds a lot like the kinda of threat to navigation the west loves to accuse China of doing.

EEZ does not equate to territorial waters, and foreign ships are free to do what they like in other people's EEZs so long as its not economic activity. Isn't that what America is so adamant about upholding?

I wonder when the US state department or Pentagon is going to come out in support of the right to freedom of navigation in this made up 'dispute'.

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plawolf said:

Sounds a lot like the kinda of threat to navigation the west loves to accuse China of doing.

EEZ does not equate to territorial waters, and foreign ships are free to do what they like in other people's EEZs so long as its not economic activity. Isn't that what America is so adamant about upholding?

I wonder when the US state department or Pentagon is going to come out in support of the right to freedom of navigation in this made up 'dispute'.

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Zetageist said:

....Chinese Coast Guard ship(s) has been anchored at the Luconia Shoals for 2 years so it is no longer consider innocent navigation. ......Since end of last year, there were rumors that China has wrestled Luconia Breakers from Malaysia and currently maintains actual control of the shoal.....

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joshuatree said:

Has this been confirmed? Because rumors are just....rumors. The pic of the CG vessel being at anchored for 2 years, well the Google Earth pic was of another CG vessel with a helo pad. So have we gotten validation of a CG vessel at anchor for 2 years from other sources? I highly doubt that claim because 1) makes no sense logistically to supply a perfectly mobile CG vessel instead of changing out ships (also does that mean crew's been on duty for 2 years?), and 2) no one noticed in the last 2 years of an anchored CG vessel? Not Malaysia, not the USN?

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MIRI: China has been detected encroaching on Malaysian waters at the Luconia Shoals, which are known as Gugusan Beting Patinggi Ali, located just 84 nautical miles from the coast here.

It is understood that a Chinese Coast Guard vessel has been anchored in the area for about two years.

“I had a meeting with the TLDM, MMEA, Wisma Putra and MKN (National Security Council) today (yesterday) with regards to the security of the South China Sea and the movement of illegal foreign fishermen there,” Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim told a press conference at Miri Airport yesterday.

“With regards to the Gugusan Beting Patinggi Ali issue, we know that there is intrusion in the area, which is why we sent the TLDM (navy) and MMEA (Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency) to monitor the area 24/7 to ensure the sovereignty of the country.”

He pointed out that all foreign vessels would normally just pass through the area as they cannot anchor or stay in the area without permission.

He explained that one of the areas within Gugusan Beting Patinggi Ali had become a small island, which resulted in many parties being interested in it, possibly with the intention of encroachment.

Shahidan stressed that the area belongs to Malaysia and that the government will do whatever it takes to protect and defend Malaysian waters in the South China Sea from being encroached on by intruders or unlicensed foreign fisherman.

On illegal foreign fishermen and Suluk immigrants, Shahidan said the government viewed the matter seriously with the MMEA and navy collaborating on addressing the issue.

He said Sibuti member of parliament Ahmad Lai Bujang had highlighted the issued in Parliament.

“We will take action against illegal fishing boats that encroached on our waters because foreign fishermen’s boats are not allowed here,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shahidan suggested the area be developed for tourism as according to him the beautiful and crystal clear waters there are much better than at islands in the Maldives.

“I have recommended to the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Tourism Sarawak for this place to be developed as a tourism attraction,” he said.

Gugusan Beting Patinggi Ali is one of the largest and least known reef complexes in the South China Sea.

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• POSTED: 09 Jun 2015 18:22
• UPDATED: 10 Jun 2015 00:15

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will lodge a diplomatic protest against an alleged incursion by a Chinese Coast Guard ship into its waters off Borneo island in the disputed South China Sea, a top naval official said on Tuesday (Jun 9) amid a continuing stand-off with the vessel.

Navy Chief Abdul Aziz Jaafar said that since late 2014, intrusions by Chinese ships into Malaysian waters have been a daily affair with Kuala Lumpur protesting to Beijing each time.

Abdul Aziz told AFP the Chinese vessel involved in the latest incident remained in Malaysian waters.

"We are maintaining our presence there. We are shadowing the vessel continuously. It is a case where they want to maintain their presence there but at the same time we are there to make sure and tell them that this is our waters," he said.

"We have been submitting (diplomatic protests). Every time we detect them ... every time we sight them we challenge them (to indicate) that they are in our waters. At the same time we lodge a diplomatic protest," he added.

The latest incident is near the Luconia Shoals, an area of the South China Sea just outside the Spratlys, a reputedly oil-rich island chain claimed in whole or in part by Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Abdul Aziz said the Chinese incursion had taken place very close to the Malaysian coast.

Luconia Shoals lies just 65 nautical miles (120 kilometres) north west of the oil-rich town of Miri in eastern Sarawak state.

Abdul Aziz said in the latest incident attempts to communicate with the Chinese vessel to state that it was in Malaysian waters met no response.

"We are on Channel 16. We are communicating through VHF communications. We are telling them this is our waters. (But) they do not respond," he said.

Beijing, which claims the South China Sea almost entirely, has built 2,000 acres (800 hectares) of artificial islands in the Spratlys, including those with facilities that appear to have a military purpose.

Regional alarm is growing at moves by China to stake its claim to most of the sea, including its large-scale island-building programme.

The Philippines and the United States have urged China to halt reclamation.

Malaysia, which has close economic ties with China, has traditionally downplayed tensions in the South China Sea and steers clear of criticising China's actions in the energy-rich waters.

But Abdul Aziz said that since September 2014 there had been an increase in intrusions by Chinese Coast Guard vessels. "We protest every time. We see them every day," he said.

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