Malaysia urges peaceful resolution to South China Sea stand-off with Beijing

The Haiyang Dizhi 8, accompanied by a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel, last week entered Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and began a survey

The area is near waters claimed by Vietnam, Malaysia and China, which claims most of the energy-rich South China Sea

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Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein. Photo: EPA

Published: 3:53pm, 23 Apr 2020Updated: 5:46pm, 23 Apr 2020

Malaysia called on Thursday for disputes over the South China Sea to be resolved by peaceful means, amid a stand-off between Chinese and Malaysian vessels that a US think tank said had been going on for months.

US and Australian warships arrived in the South China Sea this week near an area where a Chinese government survey vessel, the Haiyang Dizhi 8, has been operating close to a drillship under contract to Malaysian state oil company Petronas, regional security sources have said.

The stand-off was the latest development in a series of targeted harassments by Chinese vessels of drilling operations in five oil blocks off the Malaysian coast in the past year, said Greg Poling, director of the Washington-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI).

Since December, Chinese forces have been harassing supply ships servicing the West Capella, an oil exploration vessel operated by Petronas, Poling said.

Last week, the Haiyang Dizhi 8, accompanied by a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel, entered Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and began a survey close to where the West Capella was operating.