OpinionWhat will Beijing do now that Malaysia has discovered the art of the deal in the South China Sea?
- Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad piles another problem on China with sovereignty claim that pushes into heart of disputed waters
- While nations argue over their claims to rich resources, a threat to the South China Sea’s ecology needs their collective attention – and quickly
“I’m always moving. I’m moving in both directions,” US President Donald Trump once said, boasting about his “art of the deal” unpredictability strategy. But if there is any world leader who truly embodies multidirectional dynamism, it’s Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
In a year-end move, which seemingly caught everyone off guard, the Southeast Asian state formally submitted its claims to the extended continental shelf in the northern portions of the disputed waters to the United Nations.
The move predictably met a furious response from China, which has grappled with legal challenges from the Philippines and Vietnam in the past decade. But just as South China Sea claimant states enter a next phase of confrontation, an environmental time bomb is counting down to apocalyptic results, underscoring the urgent need for regional cooperation.
The Malaysian submission at the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf aims to push the limits of its sovereign rights claims northward and deep into the heart of the South China Sea.