South China Sea: Malaysia to stick with ‘quiet diplomacy’ towards Beijing in dispute, analysts say

Not only is China Malaysia’s biggest trading partner, it also has a history of ‘escalation dominance’, the Malaysian scholars said in a webinar

They also voiced concerns that disagreements among other South China Sea claimants had been glossed over in discussions on the dispute

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A visiting Chinese delegation including China’s Defence Minister Wei Fenghe, left, holds talks with Malaysian Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and other officials in Kuala Lumpur last month. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 8:30pm, 8 Oct 2020Updated: 10:01pm, 8 Oct 2020

Malaysia is likely to maintain its “quiet diplomacy” in dealing with China’s sweeping maritime claims instead of heeding calls to be more aggressive, with Kuala Lumpur wary of Beijing’s tendency to enact punitive measures against those that challenge it openly.

This was among the views shared by Malaysia’s leading scholars of the South China Sea dispute in a webinar on Thursday concerning Kuala Lumpur’s stance on the matter.

Shahriman Lockman, one of the three Malaysian speakers in the discussion organised by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said it was a “common mistake to view the South China Sea dispute and the roles and policies of the claimants as some kind of morality tale”.

But “in the real world, all political leaders have to deal with the fact that China is very willing to be either very generous or very punitive with regards to economic relations”, said Shahriman, a fellow at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies.

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, left, pictured with Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe in Kuala Lumpur last month. Photo: Xinhua

Not only is a strong economic relationship with Beijing key to Malaysia’s own interests, but China may be a source country for Covid-19 vaccines, so keeping ties on an even keel is vital, the researcher and his fellow panellists said.