Chinese warships slipped under radar, KL says
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The Malaysian government said its navy did not notice Chinese warships near its waters last Tuesday, despite China's assertion that it had sent four ships carrying troops and helicopters to the southernmost tip of its territorial claims in the South China
China had said its warships had been sent to James Shoal, some 80 kilometres from Malaysian waters.
Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry said yesterday it had taken note of the reports from Chinese state media but declined to comment further.
In an unprecedented move, Beijing undertook naval exercises at the southernmost point of its claims in the disputed waters, with its naval crew pledging to protect China’s territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea.
Observers say this is the first time Chinese state media has publicised the naval exercises and could be sending a signal to Southeast Asian countries that it might resort to using force to claim the islands.
Apart from China’s navy possibly not entering waters claimed by Malaysia, analysts say another reason why Kuala Lumpur is downplaying China’s move could be that it is currently focused on domestic affairs, with general elections just weeks away and the government still cracking down on Sulu militants in Sabah.
“The Malaysian government is seen to have turned more inward by focusing on domestic policies in recent years and it is more important for the government to drive out the Sulu militants and monitor people’s movements in Sabah than respond to external movements at this point in time,” said Joseph Liow, associate dean of Singapore’s S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.
Some 200 militants intruded into Sabah nearly two months ago, pressing a centuries-old claim on parts of the state.
The disruption has caused unhappiness among locals in Sabah, traditionally the ruling Barisan Nasional’s stronghold in winning federal power in the general elections.
So “it’s not surprising that Malaysia may not have kept its eye on the ball on the Chinese naval fleet’s movement off Malaysia’s coast,” Dr Liow said.
Maritime analysts say the naval exercises could be an annual affair, as China steps up its territorial claims on the South China Sea islands, with parts also claimed by Vietnam and the Philippines.
Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia have also laid claim to the nearby islands.
“There is little Southeast Asian countries can do about it, as none of the Asean countries have the size or resources to take on China,”
said Dr Hamzah Ahmad, an academic specialising in maritime law and security at Universiti Malaya.
“Malaysia is likely to avoid confrontation with China so long as the economic ties China has with the region are not disrupted.”
