Malaysia to leverage Asean chairmanship to resolve South China Sea issues

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia plans to leverage its chairmanship of the upcoming Asean summits next year to resolve outstanding South China Sea issues, says Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari (pic).

Adly said the Defence Ministry emphasises three important pillars over the South China Sea issue: Malaysia’s readiness and the modernisation of its navy assets, the robustness of its operations, and the use of diplomacy in defence.

“That is why, through Asean, we try to strengthen our cooperation … Because most of Asean is related to the South China Sea.

“So, we will use our Asean chairman platform next year to resolve outstanding issues, including how we can benefit from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos),” said Adly during the Question and Answer (QnA) session in Parliament on Monday (Oct 21).

Adly said it is important for Malaysia to be able to conduct its economic activities uninterrupted in the contentious South China Sea region.

“It is also important to ensure safety for our fishermen and ensure that maritime trade is safe in the South China Sea,” added Adly.

The South China Sea has been a contentious issue in the region with China claiming a major portion of the region that overlaps with maritime claims by Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Brunei.

The region is still tense with concern of armed conflict after China and the Philippines were locked in numerous confrontations recently.

During a three-day Asean summit in Laos earlier this month, there were also numerous calls by various leaders to speed up the conclusion of the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea.

In March this year, it was reported that the second reading of the COC was completed and is now heading into its third reading.

Since 2009, China has been Asean’s largest trading partner with bilateral trade volume reaching US$546.6bil in the first seven months of this year.

Meanwhile, Adly said the latest issue involving a Penang school being visited by Chinese navy crew members should not be a matter of concern, as the navies of other countries have also docked in Malaysia in the past.

Adly also said it is normal for foreign ships to dock in Malaysian ports, as long as they abide by local procedures and laws.

“The Defence Ministry and Foreign Ministry are always working together to ensure that when foreign navies apply to dock in our country, we will work with their respective ministries to ensure that we have mutual benefits, whether it is exchanging information or experience.

“What recently happened in Penang, also happened in other states such as Sabah, and also Port Klang.

“Lately, the US Navy also did a port of call at Port Klang and the same goes for Italy, Germany, and Russia. So, for China, I felt this should not be made into polemics, as we are governed by our own laws,” said Adly.

Recently, two military vessels from China with students from the Naval University of China docked at the Penang port.

Last week, Malaysia also granted permission for a vessel from the Russian Navy to dock in Penang and in July, a US Navy ship docked at Port Klang.

Two German Navy ships also docked at Port Klang for the first time in 22 years last week.

Last week, Indera Mahkota MP Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah questioned the warm reception given to two Chinese navy ships that docked in Penang earlier this month,

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had recently affirmed Malaysia’s longstanding policy of permitting ships from various nations to dock in its ports, except for vessels from Israel.