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bente77 casino With eye on China, Malaysia pushes for new naval base in Sarawak. How will it impact their ties?
KUALA LUMPUR: After a dormant decade, calls for a new naval base in a sleepy town in Sarawak have gathered steam in recent weeks, with Malaysia potentially eyeing a more assertive stance against Chinese pressure in resource-rich areas near the Borneo state.
But in building Malaysia’s latest naval base in Bintulu, closer to the disputed waters in the South China Sea, analysts believe Putrajaya will still steer clear of stirring up the hornet’s nest.
Malaysia is unlikely to adopt more aggressive responses to Chinese vessel incursions, they told CNA, given its overarching aim to maintain its low-key approach to the maritime territorial claims and preserve its lucrative economic ties with Beijing.
China, currently embroiled in its own scuffles with the Philippines in the same strategic waterways farther north, will also be keen to keep its ties with Malaysia on an even keel, hoping to alienate Manila from other Southeast Asian claimant states, the analysts said.
Dr Collin Koh, a senior fellow at Singapore’s S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said the Sarawak naval base would not alter China-Malaysia ties as long as the Malaysian government continues to keep a “non-megaphone” approach to the dispute.
“The naval base and potentially increased Malaysian maritime presence in the area may come across as a nuisance to Beijing, but that’s just it,” he told CNA.
“End of the day, it’s the political demeanour in Kuala Lumpur, not what’s happening on the ground with Malaysia’s naval buildup in Borneo, that seems to be the key determinant in overall relationship with Beijing.”
CHINESE VESSELS “LIKE CLOCKWORK”The Region 4 Naval Headquarters in Bintulu will be Malaysia’s sixth main naval base. The country has three bases in West Malaysia and another two in Sabah.
The Malaysian government has said that the latest base will improve surveillance efforts in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea by allowing the navy to send ships there faster.
The base, which will be home to Malaysia’s three new littoral mission ships, will be built on a 200-acre site in Samalaju, northern Bintulu. Construction will reportedly be done in two phases, with the base expected to be inaugurated in 2030.
Related:
Commentary: Malaysia and the South China Sea dispute - a sea change under PM Anwar Ibrahim? According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a country retains exclusive rights to the exploration and exploitation of natural resources in its EEZ, defined as waters extending up to 200 nautical miles (370km) immediately offshore.
Malaysia’s EEZ comprises areas abundant in oil and gas that it says contribute almost 25 per cent to its gross domestic product. These include the Luconia Shoals or what Malaysia calls Beting Patinggi Ali and Beting Raja Jarum, a group of mostly submerged reefs that lie between various Malaysian oil and gas sites 155km off the coast of Sarawak.
China, which claims most of the South China Sea within its so-called nine-dash line, has regularly protested against Malaysia’s activities in the Luconia Shoals and has maintained a constant presence there. Chinese coast guard vessels have reportedly harassed Malaysian drilling rigs and survey ships.
A report released by the Washington-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) on Oct 1 cited tracking data that showed Chinese coast guard ships operated in Malaysia’s EEZ “like clockwork” in 2024.
From Jan 1 to Sep 27, AMTI found that at least one Chinese coast guard vessel was in the area nearly every daybente77 casino, remaining there for up to six weeks before being relieved by another ship.
