Malaysia flags US-China rivalry and jihadist fighters as key threats in first ever defence white paper

Minister Mohamad Sabu unveils document to lawmakers with warning that competition between the superpowers is likely to intensify

Opposition MPs say paper is short on funding details as Malaysia struggles to keep up with spending by its neighbours

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US navy ships in the South China Sea. Malaysia is wary of the waters becoming the site of a great power rivalry between America and China. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 9:40pm, 2 Dec 2019Updated: 10:12pm, 2 Dec 2019

The ripple effects of the escalating rivalry between China and the United States were among the security concerns Malaysia flagged on Monday as it unveiled its first ever defence white paper.

Defence minister Mohamad Sabu told lawmakers in parliament that the other key threats facing the country in the next decade included returning jihadist fighters, tensions surrounding the South China Sea dispute, and cyberterrorism.

Tabling the 90-page white paper in the legislature, Mohamad said the document’s purpose was to involve ordinary citizens in defence policymaking discussions and flesh out the country’s strategic outlook as a “bridging linchpin connecting the Asia-Pacific region with the Indian Ocean”.

Opposition MPs however hammered the minister for the document’s lack of details – including on how the government planned to fund programmes and asset procurement.

Hishammuddin Hussein, a former defence minister under the previously long-ruling administration defeated in elections last year, described the white paper as “disappointing and worrying”.

He claimed Mohamad’s ministry had reused some parts of defence policy presented during the time of his Barisan Nasional government.

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