South China Sea: avoid siding with US or China, Malaysia urges Asean

Without criticising US or China, Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein warns Asean nations to resist ‘narratives and pressure’ from superpowers

He also warns the Philippines over its claims on Sabah, saying the Bornean state will ‘always be part of Malaysia’

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Published: 10:45pm, 5 Aug 2020Updated: 6:43pm, 12 Nov 2020

Malaysia on Wednesday warned that the South China Sea dispute that has emerged as a key proxy battle between the US and China could split the Asean bloc if countries gave in to the superpowers’ “narratives and pressure” over the row.

The comments by Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein came days after his ministry sent an unusually terse diplomatic note to the United Nations rejecting Beijing’s sweeping maritime claims as part of its “nine-dash line”.

That move by Kuala Lumpur was preceded by Washington in July ratcheting up its position against China over the dispute.

But Hishammuddin told lawmakers in parliament that Kuala Lumpur’s position on the sea dispute was independent of the views of outside powers.

This graphic shows various claims to the South China Sea, including China’s nine-dash line. Illustration: SCMP

Malaysia is one of five member states of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) that are directly affected by the row and reject China’s claims.

The US is not a party to the dispute but has long backed Southeast Asian claimants, saying China’s stance in the waters endangered freedom of navigation and overflight.