- Malaysia said this week that it remains committed to protecting free access to the South China Sea, in response to Chinese concerns about Malaysian offshore energy projects
- Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said China has questioned work being performed by the state energy firm Petronas in Malaysian territorial waters
- Anwar earlier said he was willing to negotiate the matter with China, drawing immediate criticism from Malaysia’s political opposition
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysia said this week that it remains committed to protecting free access to the South China Sea, in response to Chinese concerns about Malaysian offshore energy projects.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said China has questioned work being performed by the state energy firm Petronas in Malaysian territorial waters.
Anwar earlier said he was willing to negotiate the matter with China, drawing immediate criticism from Malaysia’s political opposition.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s foreign ministry has said it would like all issues related to the South China Sea to be resolved in a peaceful manner, without compromising Malaysia’s position.
“The government of Malaysia is unequivocally and firmly committed to protecting Malaysia’s sovereignty, sovereign rights and interests in its maritime areas in the South China Sea,” the ministry said in a statement.
China has repeatedly claimed sovereignty over nearly all of the entire South China Sea.
Some $3 trillion worth of ship-borne trade passes through the South China Sea annually.
Meanwhile, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have overlapping territorial borders in the sea.
Malaysia’s State-owned Petronas operates oil and gas fields in the South China Sea. In recent years, Malaysia has reported several encounters with Chinese vessels.
Anwar reiterated this week that Petronas would continue its South China Seas operations.
