Explainer | How will Malaysia and China’s maritime consultation mechanism affect the South China Sea dispute?
- The recently announced bilateral mechanism has given rise to questions over the disputed waterway, where both countries have overlapping claims
- A recent Malaysian foreign policy update has proposed turning the South China Sea into a region of peace, friendship and trade
In a meeting between Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah and China’s State Councillor Wang Yi, the Chinese official announced “a new platform for dialogue and cooperation” for maritime issues.
Saifuddin said the mechanism would be led by the foreign ministries of both nations, which enjoy close trade ties and mark 45 years of diplomatic relations this year.
The South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest and most resource-rich waterways, is currently the subject of territorial disputes between four Southeast Asian countries – Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Vietnam – and Beijing.
However, the proposed bilateral mechanism is not a platform to discuss territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea, maintained Malaysian sources close to the discussion: “Malaysia is consistent that the Asean route is the only way to resolve any disputes on the South China Sea. The mechanism should not be equated to bilateral negotiations on the South China Sea.”
Malaysia is consistent that the Asean route is the only way to resolve any disputes on the South China Sea